A HORRIFYING gator attack left a woman’s arm torn apart, and another kayaker fighting for his life with his bare hands.
A group of 20 kayakers had been paddling together when chaos erupted on the water.
The terrifying encounter happened on March 3 in the Tiger Creek Canal in Polk County, Florida, approximately 60 miles from Tampa.
Christiane Salvador, 64, was visiting from Texas with her husband.
The couple were part of a large group of other kayakers on the canal when Salvador’s kayak suddenly tipped over.
She told investigators she had felt something bump her paddle moments before it snapped in two, Fox affiliate WSVN reported.
Witnesses saw her struggling in the water, yelling, “There’s an alligator on my arm.”
Her husband, Phillip Salvador, tried to haul her onto his kayak, but her arm remained underwater.
That’s when he saw the alligator’s snout rise, gripping his wife’s elbow in its jaws.
Another kayaker, David Morse, who was about 40 yards away, rushed to help.
As he tried to flip over Christiane’s kayak, the gator lunged at him, as reported by ABC local affiliate KMIZ.
The beast grabbed the front of Morse’s life vest and dragged him underwater.
Morse managed to fight back by jamming his fingers deep into the gator’s eyes.
He then unbuckled the vest and watched the beast swim away with it in its mouth.
Christiane was pulled to shore by her husband and treated with first aid.
Her arm was so severely mauled that rescuers feared it might have to be amputated.
Alligator Facts – What to Know
- Mating season runs April through June
- Alligators become more aggressive during nesting
- Female gators are highly territorial when protecting babies
- Attacks on humans are rare but can be severe
- Avoid kayaking near brushy or narrow waterways during nesting season
- Never feed or approach wild alligators
- Florida is home to an estimated 1.3 million alligators
She was flown to Osceola Regional Hospital with massive injuries to her upper right forearm.
She also had two puncture wounds just below her elbow.
Doctors later confirmed she wouldn’t lose her arm but would need multiple reconstructive surgeries.
Christiane now faces outpatient care and months of physical therapy to regain use of her hand.
Officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, along with Polk County Fire Rescue, attended to the emergency. They were joined by an airboat from Lake Kissimmee State Park.
An Aero Med helicopter located Christiane from the air and transferred two medics onto the boat to reach her.
Wildlife officials said the alligator was a female measuring 8 feet, 3 inches.
The gator was later trapped and killed by licensed nuisance trappers.
ACTING ON INSTINCT
Experts believe the gator may have acted protectively due to mating or nesting season.
“There’s no evidence anyone was feeding or molesting the alligator,” the report stated.
Reptile expert Kim Titterington said the animal may have been acting out of instinct.
“This sounds like a scene out of a horror movie. I’m sure for the people who were going through it were terrified,” she said.
Titterington explained female gators are extremely defensive during nesting season.
“When a female has her babies, they are very defensive… because they have to protect their babies from other male gators,” she said.
Wildlife officials noted alligator mating season typically begins in April, with increased aggression seen during May and June.
