Child Hospitalized After Alligator Bite at Weeki Wachee Preserve, Trapper Called In

A child was hospitalized Monday after being bitten by an alligator while swimming at Weeki Wachee Preserve, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office said, and a licensed trapper has since set traps in the water to try to catch the animal. The preserve is one of the county's most popular natural swimming spots, and the bite has left parents asking whether it's safe to bring kids back to the water there.

The sheriff's office says the alligator was between 9 and 12 feet long. The child, whose name and age have not been released, was left with puncture wounds to the arm and leg. Officials say the injuries are not life-threatening.

A licensed Florida wildlife trapper was called to the scene Monday and placed traps inside the preserve in an effort to remove the alligator. As of now, officials have not said whether the trapper has caught it.

What we still don't know

The sheriff's office has not released the child's condition beyond saying the injuries are not life-threatening, and has not said whether the preserve has been closed to swimmers while the trapping effort continues. It also hasn't said exactly where in the preserve the bite happened, or what time of day the child was swimming.

Weeki Wachee Preserve draws families throughout the summer for its clear spring water and sandbars, and alligator sightings there are not unusual. What sets Monday's incident apart is the size of the animal involved and the fact that a child was hurt badly enough to need hospital treatment.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission typically leads the response when an alligator is considered a threat to public safety, working through its Nuisance Alligator Program to send a contracted trapper. Hernando County has not said whether the preserve will reopen once the trapping effort ends, or whether signage or additional warnings will go up at the swimming areas in the meantime.

This is a developing story. Check back with Hernando County Community Website for updates as officials release more information on the child's condition and the search for the alligator.

Follow us on Facebook for the latest updates on this story, and join the conversation in our Community Forum to share how this is affecting your family's plans at the preserve. For more coverage of safety incidents around the county, visit our public safety section.

Header photo: Fredlyfish4 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)