Last Friday a man and his girlfriend were hanging out along Little Econ River at Riverside Park in Oviedo, Fla., when a 12-foot long alligator attacked their dog.
According to information provided to Audacy by the city of Oviedo, the man jumped on top of the gator to rescue the animal.
“Staff was notified of the incident on Saturday and FWC was contacted to come and trap the gator,” said the city. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers trapped it Sunday “and it appeared to be about 12 feet long.”
Since there was no police report, Oviedo did not have information about the couple or the dog.
A GoFundMe page cited by Click Orlando said the dog is named Mako. Its owner said she and the 3-year-old Belgian Malinois work together as an explosive detection team at Port Canaveral.
“He is my world,” said the page. “He loves all people and is just a happy-go- lucky dog.”
Mako’s owner rushed the dog to a veterinarian, according to the GoFundMe. It said that the animal had five puncture wounds, three broken ribs and “mild hemothorax,” which is “a collection of blood in the space between the visceral and parietal pleura.”
After Mako had surgery, he stayed at the vet to recover. Costs were more than $7,000, according to the GoFundMe. As of Wednesday, it had raised $17,036, exceeding its $15,000 goal.
“Mako is doing well considering the circumstances,” said a Wednesday update. “We are still not sure how long he is staying.”
According to Lisa McDonald, communications manager for Oviedo, there are several large alligators in the area around the river. Notices about the alligator presence have been posted on the city’s Facebook page.
“If you look on the map of Riverside Park, to the west of the multi-purpose fields there are two large pavilions on either side of an old volleyball field,” the city said. “To the west of that is a heavily wooded area that leads down to the river. Because the river is so low, people can walk down there. Dog owners are highly discouraged from walking their pets near any body of water due to the dense alligator population, especially during alligator mating season.”
Related
Related
