Temple Terrace woman survives alligator attack in the Hillsborough River

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. — A Temple Terrace woman needed emergency surgery after surviving an alligator attack earlier this month.

Rachél Thompson lives along the Hillsborough River.

"I always look. I’m always trying to watch their behavior," said Thompson.

She said that on July 4, around 7:00 a.m., she went for a dip in the river after going for a run.

"I don’t swim to the middle of the river. I just stay in that spot right by my dock," she said. "I’m basically standing in shallow water, and I look, and from the dark water, out of nowhere appears the ripples of a giant alligator head, and I couldn’t see how long it was."

Thompson said she was bitten in the leg. She recalled punching the gator in the snout.

"The thought came to my mind, this is your last move, his next is to roll you and I just screamed and I pried as hard as I could," she said.

Thompson said the gator released her leg, and she was able to pull herself onto the dock.

She went to a local hospital and needed emergency surgery.

Rachél Thompson

"None of the major nerves were severed, one clean fracture to the fibula, the small bone," she said.

Thompson said she believes the gator had been indirectly fed in the past and lost its fear of humans.

A licensed trapper removed a 10-foot, 8-inch alligator from the river. The gator was euthanized.

Jay Parrish

Thompson is expected to make a full recovery. She is using crutches and must stay off her feet for six to eight weeks.

"I’ve heard a lot of these stories, and I’ve heard a lot of tragic stories, lost lives, lost limbs and extremities," said Thompson. "It's a miracle."

Wildlife officials urge people never to feed an alligator. It’s illegal and dangerous. When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food. FWC officials said this could lead to dangerous circumstances for yourself and other people who could encounter the alligator in the future.

The FWC works to keep Floridians, and visitors informed and recommends the following precautionary measures near alligators, including in or near the water, to reduce the chances of conflicts with alligators:

• Keep a safe distance if you see an alligator. If someone is concerned about an alligator, they should call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286), and FWC will dispatch a contracted nuisance alligator trapper to resolve the situation.   
• Keep pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge. Pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey. 
• Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours and without your pet. Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn.