MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A man was airlifted to a hospital Sunday after being attacked by a crocodile in southwest Miami-Dade.
The National Park Service confirmed that the attack occurred just before 4:45 p.m. near the Flamingo Marina in Everglades National Park.
According to officials, the 68-year-old victim’s recreational sailboat capsized in the marina basin and he was trying to swim to shore with his boat when he was seen going underwater.
Park rangers in the area rescued the man and treated him for a cut on his leg.
A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crew then airlifted him to Jackson South Medical Center.
Allyson Gantt, a ranger with the Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks, told Local 10 News it’s possible the animal was simply reacting to something in its environment when it attacked the man.
“He was able to right his boat and was swimming towards the dock with it, and he went underwater a little bit, and people had seen the crocodile approaching,” she said.
National Park Service officials said in a news release that the victim was stable.
“Rangers and park biologists are continuing to investigate the incident and monitor the suspected crocodile, which is easily identifiable,” the news release stated. “The American crocodile is a federally threatened species which closely resembles the American alligator.”
The crocodile attack is being investigated by the National Park Service with assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
“While the park is a safe place to visit, we remind visitors to stay alert and exercise caution, especially around wildlife,” the news release stated. “Swimming or wading is prohibited in all canals, ponds, freshwater lakes, marked channels and boat basins in Everglades National Park.”
“We have both the American alligator and the American crocodile, here, and human and animal interactions like that are extremely rare, but they are wild animals,” said Gantt. “We certainly hope the individual makes a full recovery.”