A Florida woman is recovering after fending off a five-foot alligator with her fists to save her puppy from being dragged into a creek.
Land O’ Lakes resident Danie Wright was walking her 4-month-old Shih Tzu, Dax, near a stagnant creek behind her home when the gator attacked. The creek, covered in watermoss, gave the alligator sufficient cover to initiate his attack.
“I turned and looked, and an alligator had him,” Wright explained. “The alligator’s front teeth were through the collar of my dog.”
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Florida woman gets bitten by gator after punching it to save dog
The gator began pulling Dax into the water, prompting Wright to fight back.
“I just punched him, punched and punched,” she told WTSP-TV. “I punched him in the eye enough that he kind of let go, he unclamped a little, and I pulled off, but his teeth dragged down my arm.”
Wright managed to flip the reptile onto its back, freeing Dax and retreating inside. She suffered bite wounds during the struggle but is now recovering.
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“I freaking fought an alligator and won,” she beamed.
Video captured by Wright shows the alligator lingering behind her home after the attack. Florida Fish and Wildlife trappers later removed it from the property.
The Florida woman is using this wild story to encourage others to be cautious in gator territory. “Just be careful with your dogs. These alligators are no joke. I mean, 15 feet, he came out to get him, and I didn’t see him.”
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She further advised dog owners to be more alert when walking them near water. “Leave your phone at home,” she urged.
This isn’t the first time someone has had to face off with a gator. Back in 2023, TikToker Dave Franks went viral after posting a video where a zoo visitor jumped into an enclosure and started wrestling an alligator to help a handler trapped by the animal.
Not every gator is vicious, however. Earlier in September, a Pennsylvania man made headlines after being denied entry to a Walmart store for bringing his five-foot emotional support alligator inside a shopping cart.
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