Alligator bites tourist on golf course
Bruce Charles Burger of Tennessee wrestled a 10-foot 11-inch alligator on his vacation and lived to tell the tale.
Burger was playing golf at Lake Venice Golf Club on Monday about 5 p.m. and hit a ball into the lake near the sixth hole, according to Rod Parry the general manager of Lake Venice Golf Club.
Gary Morse is the spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Fish and Wildlife representatives respond to calls when alligators attack.
Morse said Burger reached his right hand into the lake to retrieve his golf ball when the alligator came out of the water and bit Burger on his arm.
The alligator tried to pull Burger into the water, but he was able to fend it off with his left arm and free himself, Morse said.
"Somehow he got away from a 10-foot alligator," Parry said. "Thank God for that."
A nearby golfer heard Burger's cries for help and rushed to his aid. Parry called 9-1-1.
Morse said Burger was taken to Venice Regional Medical Center Monday night, where it was determined his injuries weren't life threatening.
Parry said it took eight people to take care of the alligator. The FFWCC, Venice Police Department, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Department and the contracted trapper all took on the alligator.
The alligator
Morse said the male alligator was relatively old for an alligator. It also was missing an eye, which Morse said was quite common in alligators.
He said alligators live in a violent world and are highly cannibalistic. "Living out there in the world of an alligator is no picnic."
The alligator was removed as a part of the Nuisance Alligator program run by the FFWCC. It will be destroyed, as are all alligators that are deemed a nuisance and more than 4-feet long, Morse said. The program is funded by profits from the sale of the meat and the skin.
Baby alligators are no exception, but only if they bite.
"The little ones bite anything," Morse said.
Parry said the last time an alligator attacked anyone at the Lake Venice Golf Club was roughly 18 to 20 years ago.
Morse said there are other alligators that live at the golf course.
The value of a golf ball
Parry said he doesn't know why golfers repeatedly try to retrieve golf balls from the water, despite signs posted that say "Beware of Alligator."
"Whether he (Burger) saw it (the sign) or he ignored it, I'm not sure," Parry said.
Parry said he wasn't surprised Burger went after his ball. He said people try to retrieve golf balls they haven't even hit.
Parry said the paramedics who responded to the call told him for cases like Burger's, people are usually treated with a lot of antibiotics because of the bacteria involved in a bite wound.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Burger was no longer at Venice Regional Medical.
Bruce Charles Burger of Tennessee wrestled a 10-foot 11-inch alligator on his vacation and lived to tell the tale.
Burger was playing golf at Lake Venice Golf Club on Monday about 5 p.m. and hit a ball into the lake near the sixth hole, according to Rod Parry the general manager of Lake Venice Golf Club.
Gary Morse is the spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Fish and Wildlife representatives respond to calls when alligators attack.
Morse said Burger reached his right hand into the lake to retrieve his golf ball when the alligator came out of the water and bit Burger on his arm.
The alligator tried to pull Burger into the water, but he was able to fend it off with his left arm and free himself, Morse said.
"Somehow he got away from a 10-foot alligator," Parry said. "Thank God for that."
A nearby golfer heard Burger's cries for help and rushed to his aid. Parry called 9-1-1.
Morse said Burger was taken to Venice Regional Medical Center Monday night, where it was determined his injuries weren't life threatening.
Parry said it took eight people to take care of the alligator. The FFWCC, Venice Police Department, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Department and the contracted trapper all took on the alligator.
The alligator
Morse said the male alligator was relatively old for an alligator. It also was missing an eye, which Morse said was quite common in alligators.
He said alligators live in a violent world and are highly cannibalistic. "Living out there in the world of an alligator is no picnic."
The alligator was removed as a part of the Nuisance Alligator program run by the FFWCC. It will be destroyed, as are all alligators that are deemed a nuisance and more than 4-feet long, Morse said. The program is funded by profits from the sale of the meat and the skin.
Baby alligators are no exception, but only if they bite.
"The little ones bite anything," Morse said.
Parry said the last time an alligator attacked anyone at the Lake Venice Golf Club was roughly 18 to 20 years ago.
Morse said there are other alligators that live at the golf course.
The value of a golf ball
Parry said he doesn't know why golfers repeatedly try to retrieve golf balls from the water, despite signs posted that say "Beware of Alligator."
"Whether he (Burger) saw it (the sign) or he ignored it, I'm not sure," Parry said.
Parry said he wasn't surprised Burger went after his ball. He said people try to retrieve golf balls they haven't even hit.
Parry said the paramedics who responded to the call told him for cases like Burger's, people are usually treated with a lot of antibiotics because of the bacteria involved in a bite wound.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Burger was no longer at Venice Regional Medical.
thinking about that day.
