News Release

Okeechobee man recovering from alligator bite

May 26, 2009
Contact: Gabriella B. Ferraro, 772-215-9459

An Okeechobee County man is recovering after he was bitten by an alligator Monday afternoon at Nubbin Slough in Lake Okeechobee.

Investigators with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to the incident.

The victim, Antonio Prado, 47, was using a cast net to catch freshwater fish in 2-3 feet of water when an alligator bit him across the arm and chest, dragging him under water. His son, 24-year-old Jonatan Prado, saw his father go under water and ran to his aid. The son ran to the water and threw a pair of pliers at the alligator's head. That caused the alligator to release Prado and enabled the son to pull his father out of the water.

The elder Prado underwent emergency surgery at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce. He survived the attack with no loss of extremities.

Trappers removed an 11-foot alligator believed to have been responsible for the attack.

Alligators are most active in the summer months. The FWC urges Floridians and visitors to use caution and to be alert in or around water.

The FWC receives more than 16,000 alligator-related complaints annually and removes about 8,500 alligators each year when the reptiles present potential danger to people or property.

If you encounter an alligator that poses a threat to you, your pets or your property, and the alligator is more than 4 feet long, call the FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (392-4286).  The telephone number is the primary contact for all alligator complaints and is staffed 24 hours a day.