The pit bull puppy was dragged into a lake.
An alligator emerged from an Orlando lake Monday morning, attacked a pit bull and dragged it back into the water, the dog's owner told state wildlife officials.
Eric Mantral Glover was walking his 10-month-old pit bull in park east of MetroWest before the incident, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation spokesman Greg Workman said.
"He [Glover] started throwing a stick into the lake for the pit bull to retrieve," Workman said.
Later, an alligator, estimated to be between 8 and 11 feet long, came out of the lake and attacked the dog, pulling it back into the water, Workman said.
Glover was unable to find his pet.
The park is between Raleigh Street and Metrowest Boulevard.
Chris Bradley, who lives near the scene, said he saw a big alligator there recently.
"I hear people say it's more than one," he said. "They took an alligator out of a smaller pond nearby."
FWC was called to the scene and a permit was issued to a trapper, Workman said. But the trapper was unable to find the alligator on Monday. The search was expected to resume late Monday or early today, FWC officials said.
The FWC website notes that dogs and cats are similar to the size of the natural prey of alligators. It suggests that pets should not swim, exercise or drink in waters that might contain gators.
More than 1.3 million alligators are thought to live in Florida, and gator bites are uncommon. Some bites occur because of "accidental collisions" such as swimmers bumping into alligators, according to FWC.
On Aug. 7, 9-year-old James Barney was enjoying a swim in Lake Tohopekaliga when he was bitten by an alligator estimated to be 9 feet long and 500 pounds. The boy suffered superficial bites, as well as 30 teeth marks and scratches.
Wildlife officials report 12 people were bitten by alligators in Florida last year. Five of those bites were considered minor, seven were major and none was fatal.
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