An 84-year-old South Florida woman has been left hospitalized with brutal injuries after she and her pet were attacked by a seven-foot long alligator.
Del Boppel and her dog Queen were out on a walk near a pond located close her Julia Mobile Home Park home at around 7pm on September when she spotted the predator.
‘All of a sudden, I had a premonition, I'm telling you. It was like, ‘uh-uh', Boppel said from her hospital bed.
Second later, as the 7'3″ alligator bit Boppel on her right leg, she threw Queen in the air and punched the animal in its face.
Del Boppel and her dog, Queen were out on a walk near a pond located close her Julia Mobile Home Park home at around 7pm on September when she spotted the predator
‘It was like a torpedo. I didn't see anything go that fast in my life. I didn't have time to think,' Boppel said.
The gator managed to take a chunk of her leg and fingers before scurrying away – leaving her with ‘significant' injuries to her arms and a wrist.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Lee County Emergency Medical Services also responded to a 911 call made by a neighbor.
According to NBC News, a nuisance alligator trapper later found the animal and ‘humanely euthanized' the predator.
The gator managed to take a chunk of her leg and fingers before scurrying away – leaving her with ‘significant' injuries to her arms and a wrist
A nuisance alligator trapper later found the animal and ‘humanely euthanized' the predator
Despite her condition, she remains in good spirits and is looking forward to reuniting with her dog.
Boppel also revealed that she had previously complained about the big gators to her community but never heard back.
Back in July, another Florida woman' leg was savaged by an eight feet alligator as she swam in a river.
Rachel Thompson was going through her daily morning routine of yoga and jogging when she went down to the Hillsborough River near her Temple Terrace home.
According to the FWC , between 2004 and 2022, the state recorded nearly 190 alligator attacks, 12 of which were fatal
As she got out of the river, she discovered the alligator and was immediately under attack.
‘The moment that I saw his head, it was just a fraction of a second from me seeing his head and him grabbing my leg,' Thompson said.
Thompson tried everything she knew to try and stop the gator: grabbing a rock and punching it. The gator attacked her further until she made an amazing escape.
According to the FWC, between 2004 and 2022, the state recorded nearly 190 alligator attacks, 12 of which were fatal.
