A hunter had a close call after he was almost killed by an enormous alligator that tried to rip off his hand.
Justin Perchalski thought he had the catch of a lifetime when he snagged the 11-foot gator. But things didn't turn out quite as he was hoping when the powerful reptile came out of the water and tore into his right arm.
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Fortunately, he managed to get away with his hand intact and is now recovering at Orlando Regional Medical Centre.
Justin's family says the hunter is back up walking around and, miraculously, is still able to use his hand.
Unsurprisingly, however, the shocking ordeal has put Justin off alligator hunting. Probably a wise move, mate.
Justin's brother Ryan Perchalski said: "I don't think he'll be doing alligator hunting much anymore. The bones are turned to mush, obviously, with an 11-foot alligator."
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According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC), Justin was out hunting in the Three Forks Marsh, near Palm Bay, when the attack happened.
Ryan says his brother was with three other men at the time, who managed to get hold of him and keep him in the boat.
Ryan said: "Justin reached over the side of the boat to pull on the line, to bring the gator up, when the gator came out of the water, grabbing his right hand.
"The alligator made it about a turn-and-a-half with his hand in his mouth before he let go, which is kind of crazy, because typically they don't let go."
The injured hunter took off his belt and used it as a tourniquet. Incredibly, he then managed to drive the boat back to the dock because the other men he was with didn't know the area well enough.
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Justin is now on the road to recovery, but still has a long way to go until he's back to full health.
Ryan added: "One of his radial bones in his forearm is gone. It's just a freak accident. You do it long enough, something like this is bound to happen."
Following the incident, the FWC has come out and said that as the gator isn't considered a nuisance, they will not be attempting to find and trap it.
Hunting season started last week and will continue until the beginning of November.
Featured Image Credit: FoxTopics: Interesting, US News, Alligator, Animals, Health