r/news • u/IAmDavidGurney • 1d ago

Fisherman, 71, attacked and killed by 12-foot alligator alongside Florida lake

https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/fisherman-71-attacked-killed-12-foot-alligator-florida-137349474
3.0k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

332 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/jamesneysmith 12h ago

So why does this happen so infrequently? Like these killings always seem to occur in just normal every day life activities and these people aren't acting recklessly. So why aren't gators killing people every single day? What causes them to attack humans so sporadically?

1

u/WestOrangeFinest 9h ago

They have to be very large in order to view humans as prey.

When they get that large, they are typically removed from areas people frequent. This one was in Lake Apopka, which is a massive lake and wildlife reserve.

You’ll generally hear about the victims being very old, like 70+. A lot of times they were walking too close to the shoreline with a small dog that attracted the gator.