CNN
—
A person attempting to swim to shore after his leisure sailboat capsized at Everglades Nationwide Park suffered an obvious chunk from an American crocodile, in accordance with a Nationwide Park Service information launch.
Rangers responded round 4:43 p.m. Sunday to a report that the person was noticed going beneath water at Flamingo Marina, situated in southern a part of the park close to the open water of the Florida Straits.
They had been in a position to pull a 68-year-man out and deal with a laceration on one in every of his legs, the discharge stated.
The rangers labored with Miami-Dade Fireplace Rescue to move the affected person to a hospital, and the affected person was reported steady upon switch to EMS suppliers, the discharge stated.
“Rangers and park biologists are persevering with to research the incident and monitor the suspected crocodile, which is definitely identifiable,” the discharge stated.
The American crocodile is a federally threatened species, the NPS stated, and it resembles the American alligator. However they’re totally different species in very totally different conditions.
There are solely about 2,000 grownup crocodiles within the mainland United States, dwelling completely in a slender vary alongside the coastlines of central and southern Florida, in accordance with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee. (American crocodiles may also be present in some coastal areas of Caribbean islands, Mexico and South America.)
In the meantime, an estimated 5 million wild American alligators are unfold out throughout 10 states in Southeast and past, together with components of North Carolina and even the acute southeastern tip of Oklahoma.
American crocodiles are thought-about a shy and reclusive species, the FFWCC says, and crocodile assaults on people in Florida are very uncommon.
Worldwide is a unique matter – about 1,000 deaths a year are attributed to crocodile assaults in locations reminiscent of Africa, mainland Asia, Indonesia and Australia.