700-Pound Alligator Pulled From Fla. Canal
POSTED: 9:20 am EDT May 18, 2006
UPDATED: 3:35 pm EDT May 18, 2006
A giant 700-pound, 12-foot-long alligator was captured and pulled from a Florida canal after fearful residents called for help, according to a Local 6 News report.
A crane and several men were needed to lift the alligator out of the canal located near Northwest 41st Street in Doral, Fla.
Local 6 News showed video of a large crowd of people watching crews attempting to move the 700-pound alligator onto a truck.
Homeowners in the area complained about the alligator, saying it had become a nuisance.
A trapper said the alligator was definitely not one residents would want in the area, according to the report.
"This is the biggest alligator ever caught in Miami-Dade County," Local 6's Jacquie Sosa said.
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Alligator In Fatal Attack Found
Meanwhile, trappers in Marion County, Fla., are confident they captured the nearly 12-foot alligator responsible for killing a 23-year-old woman snorkeling in a remote spring river, according to Local 6 News.
Annemarie Campbell, 23, of Paris, Tenn., suffered lacerations on her head, neck and upper torso and suffered multiple rib fractures during the alligator attack over the weekend.
Campbell was found in the alligator's mouth, Local 6 News reported.
The bull alligator believed responsible for the attack was captured on a hook at Juniper Run Thursday -- four days later.
The hunt also turned up a second large alligator. Both alligators were killed by bang sticks to the head.
Trappers said with the size of the alligator, Campbell did not have a chance.
"She would not have had any chance," trapper Curtis Lucas said. "I mean in the water, he has all of the advantage. That is his home ground. He was made to operate and move in the water. She had no chance."
Juniper Run in the Ocala National Forest has been closed since the fatal attack. U.S. Forestry officials said the area will be reopened to swimmers after the alligators are examined.
"We do believe it is safe," U.S. Forest Service representative Denise Rains said. "Any body of water in Florida has the potential to have alligators in it. People need to be aware of that any time they are in the National Forest. But it is as safe today as it was yesterday."
Both alligators were taken to a medical examiners to determine if they have the alligator involved in the attack.
Juniper Run could open to swimmers over the weekend.
Florida residents can call (866) FWC-GATOR to report alligators that are 4 feet or longer and pose a threat to them, their children or their pets.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
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