DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Florida man was attacked by a male alligator that showed up at his front door Friday night, officials said.
The incident happened around 9:42 p.m. at a residence near a golf course in Daytona Beach, said Daytona Beach police spokesman Carrie McCallister.
The alligator was 7-feet, 10-inches long, said state-certified trapper, Curtis Lucas, who was called by Florida Fish and Wildlife officials to trap the reptile.
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Lucas euthanized the alligator, McCallister said.
Noise at front door turns out to be alligator
McCallister said the homeowner was responding to a noise at the front door.
“The resident opened the front door after hearing a noise, believing it was someone looking for his son. The alligator lunged and he was bitten in the upper thigh,” McCallister said in a news release.
The man suffered non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital by medical personnel, McCallister said.
Officers located the animal near the front entrance to the residence and Florida Fish and Wildlife officers responded to the scene and called a trapper, police said.
By the time Lucas got the scene, the alligator had retreated under a trailer, he said.
Alligator mating season
Lucas said it’s nearing mating season for gators, so residents will see them out more often as they look for females.
“They are out scouting looking for girls,” Lucas said.