A rare reptile attack in Everglades National Park. Crocodile injures man

Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, David Goodhue
·2 min read
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A man swimming in a marina in Everglades National Park was attacked by a crocodile on Sunday — a rare documented attack on a human by a reptile.

The 68-year-old man was pulled underwater, according to witnesses, after his small sailboat flipped in the basin at Flamingo, the park’s southernmost outpost, according to Allyson Gantt, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service.

He was apparently trying to swim the overturned vessel back to the dock when the crocodile closed in around 4:55 p.m, on Sunday, according to a park release. Rangers rushed to treat the man for lacerations on his leg, Gantt said.

Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue then flew the man to Jackson South Medical Center, where he remained as of Monday, WSVN reported.

The incident was originally reported as an alligator bite but Gantt confirmed it was a crocodile.

The American crocodile, which can lives in both salt and fresh water, is rare in South Florida and classified as a federally endangered species. Attacks by crocodiles on humans are extremely rare, in part because most of the population lives in isolated areas like the southern Everglades and near the Turkey Point nuclear power plant in the mangroves of south Biscayne Bay. But they have expanded their range over the last decade and human encounters have become frequent.

A crocodile was blamed for biting a man on a shoulder after jumping into a Coral Gable canal in 2014 - an incident reported then as the first confirmed crocodile attack on a human in Florida. They have been implicated in attacks on pets in the Florida Keys.

A crocodile lounges on the Whitewater Bay boat ramp in Flamingo, the southernmost National Park Service headquarters in Everglades National Park.
A crocodile lounges on the Whitewater Bay boat ramp in Flamingo, the southernmost National Park Service headquarters in Everglades National Park.

And they also can be commonly seen sunning on the boat ramps at Flamingo, where tourist snap their photos.

Gantt said park rangers and biologists are continuing to investigate the incident and monitor the suspected crocodile, “which is easily identifiable.”

“While the park is a safe place to visit, we remind visitors to stay alert and exercise caution, especially around wildlife,” Gantt said in a statement. “Swimming or wading is prohibited in all canals, ponds, freshwater lakes, marked channels and boat basins in Everglades National Park.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.