PHOTO: Florida Authorities Shoot ‘Nuisance’ Alligator that Bit Off Fisherman’s Hand

An alligator attacked a fisherman in Leesburg, Florida, on Sunday and bit off his hand during the brutal encounter.

Authorities with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said the alligator was approximately nine feet long, Fox 35 reported Monday.

The victim was reportedly fishing in a pond in the Pennbroke Fairways neighborhood when the gator attacked him. The Fox article said the animal bit off the man’s hand.

An image shows first responders tending to the man as he sat near the water:

A witness to the attack, Ron Priest, said, “While the guy was on the ground, the gator got the guy in the hand, and the two rolled.”

In a 911 phone call, a caller told a dispatcher the creature took the man’s hand off and again stated, “Hand is gone!”

According to Priest, the man was reeling in a fish when the alligator latched onto the victim. Priest believes the creature wanted to eat the fish.

Priest said the alligator retreated into the water after letting go of the man’s hand. That was when crews arrived at the scene to assist the victim, who was eventually airlifted to an Orlando hospital.

The FWC website describes alligators as “opportunistic feeders.”

“Their diets include prey species that are abundant and easily accessible. Juvenile alligators eat primarily insects, amphibians, small fish, and other invertebrates. Adult alligators eat rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds,” the site reads.

In May, an alligator attacked a man and tore his arm off in Port Charlotte, Florida, Breitbart News reported. The incident happened when Jordan Rivera fell into a pond near a bar.

However, Rivera later said, “I didn’t lose my life; I lost an arm. It’s not the end of the world, you know.”

Per the recent Fox 35 article, when speaking of the man’s dismembered hand, Priest said he believes FWC officials are not allowed to dispose of a person’s body part. It may might have been sent to Orlando in hopes of it being reattached.

“FWC had no option but to shoot what it calls the nuisance gator, as this is the protocol for gators that attack humans,” the outlet said, noting it was trying to determine the victim’s condition after the attack.