A 911 recording revealed the chaos after a Florida kayaker was injured in an alligator attack.
As the group waited for rescue, the alligator stayed in the canal, keeping everyone on edge; at one point, it had taken a man's life jacket.
What happened?
According to FOX 13 News, the attack happened near the Polk-Osceola county line as a group of about 30 people kayaked through a canal on their way back to Lake Kissimmee.
FOX 13 News reported that the kayakers put in at Lake Kissimmee State Park, went through Rosalee and Tiger Lake, and were making their way back toward Lake Kissimmee when the woman was attacked.
In the 911 call featured in the report, the caller initially said two people had been bitten, then clarified that only one woman was injured and that the gator had taken a man's life jacket.
"She's going into shock," the caller said. "She's in real pain. She's in a lot of pain."
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He told the dispatcher the group would not go into the water for the first aid kit because the gator seemed to still be lingering in the channel beneath the floating jacket.
FOX 13 News reported that, around 20 minutes into the call, the dispatcher guided the caller through sending a pin to rescuers. The outlet said that about 45 minutes after 911 was dialed, a helicopter team had landed, switched to an airboat, and made contact with the kayakers.
The report also stated that she was hospitalized with an injury to her elbow, and officials have not publicly detailed her condition.
Why does it matter?
FWC's advice, cited by FOX 13 News, is simple: stay back from gators, keep pets on leashes away from the water's edge, use marked swim areas in daylight, and do not feed them.
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Feeding them is illegal and can teach them to associate people with food, increasing the risk of future encounters for both humans and the animals.
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