Alligator swims with human leg and foot in mouth after attacking 72-year-old man near his home

PEOPLE were horrified after an alligator was seen swimming with a human leg in its mouth after a brutal attack on an elderly man.

A 72-year-old Florida man lost his right leg from the knee down after the alligator grabbed him near his home on Friday afternoon.

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Two alligators were captured and killed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after the attack on the Great Outdoors RV and Golf Resort.

The attack was reported just before 2 p.m. on the 2,800-acre resort.

FWC officers and Brevard County Sheriff’s deputies pursued an alligator in a canal with guns near where the man was attacked.

There they discovered an alligator just above the surface of the water with a human foot sticking out of its mouth.

The alligator was shot at least four times, causing a lot of blood to seep into the water.

Officials were able to salvage a foot and part of the leg after the animal was killed.

The alligator was pulled ashore just before a second alligator was also killed.

The victim was flown to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne.

“Basically it’s in an area where the alligators are easy on the shore. It’s only about 15 feet between the house and the water,” Ron Peoples, who lives in the area, told WESH.

Sharon Maloney, a resident at the Great Outdoors RV and Golf Resort, said she heard emergency workers rushing to the neighborhood.

“You got the leg. It was with the alligator they know bit them. So you both have alligators that have been in that pond, which unfortunately they have to do. That’s what needs to be done,” she said.

“I just heard he had a tourniquet put on, so that’s a good thing. I heard he was alert when he went to the hospital.”

Officials are warning residents to stay vigilant during the spring and summer months — alligators become more visible and active at this time of year.

“Right now it is mating season and they are hungry. It’s a pretty fickle combination when you put it together,” Peoples said.

“We find them in people’s garages under the cars because they move from sea to sea. You are looking for love.”

Though alligator attacks are rare, officials say they are still wild animals and people should be more careful around bodies of water.

“They basically live here just like us. We just have to be respectful and careful with them,” Peoples said.