2023-09-24 14:02:48
A crocodile was killed while being pulled from a stream in the US state of Florida, while the body of a 41-year-old woman was recovered from its jaws, officials said on Saturday.
Police said they responded to a report of a body seen in a creek in Largo, Florida, and that the 4-meter-long male alligator was “killed in a cruel manner” on Friday.
Announcement
Police identified the body on Saturday, but indicated that the investigation was continuing to determine “the circumstances and causes of death.”
Witness Jamarcus Pollard told American media that he saw a large crocodile and a body in the creek, and ran to a nearby fire brigade barracks to report it.
“I threw a stone at the alligator, just to see if it was really an alligator,” the witness told a local NBC News television channel on Friday.
He pointed out that the animal “was clutching the body, and appeared to be clinging to the lower part of the chest, then pulled it under the water.”
“They shot him once more.”
Pollard pointed out that the crocodile strongly resisted the authorities’ attempts to repel it.
“They wrapped a rope around his neck and put him on the pulley of a truck,” he said. “They were trying to drop him into the truck, but he started pulling it into the water.”
“They grabbed a long stick, took the head out of the water, then shot it, and once they had it completely wrapped, they stretched it out and measured its length,” Pollard added, and then “shot it once more.”
Alligators are common animals in the southeastern United States, especially in Florida.
In July, a 69-year-old woman was killed following an alligator attack near a lake in South Carolina. Police said the animal was stationed near her body and prevented rescue personnel from approaching.
Additional sources • AFP
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