A lady is being hailed as a hero after leaping onto a six-foot alligator to avoid wasting her beloved canine from its jaws. The terrifying encounter unfolded in simply seconds close to a lake behind her Tampa house, however her fast pondering made all of the distinction.
Kim Spencer was strolling along with her canine, Kona, when she noticed one thing transferring within the water. Earlier than she might react, the alligator lunged from the lake and clamped its jaws round Kona’s head.
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“She’s facing it, it’s facing her, and it jumped out and got her,” Spencer stated. “Her whole head was inside its mouth. I stopped thinking and just dove on it, jumped on it and straddled it, as lady-like as that is, and was trying to pry its jaws open.”
Spencer, who describes Kona as her child, refused to let the alligator win. Appearing on intuition, she grabbed the gator from behind and wrestled it till she might pressure its jaws aside.
“Its back was to me, so it made it easier to jump on,” she stated. “We just got lucky, because just as quickly as it ran after us, it ran back into the water and we were out of there.”
Each Spencer and Kona required stitches for his or her accidents, however they’re now recovering at house. The emotional toll continues to be recent, however Spencer is grateful she had the power and braveness to behave when Kona wanted her most.
“We’re empty nesters. She’s my baby,” Spencer stated. “I wasn’t ready to take on that mindset of an animal versus a human. It was just my instinct to get her back.”
The encounter has prompted renewed warnings from native officers and residents to stay vigilant round our bodies of water, particularly in areas the place wildlife and residential communities overlap. Feeding wildlife, together with alligators, is each unlawful and harmful, as it could encourage aggressive habits and scale back their concern of people.
Spencer’s story is a reminder of how shortly issues can go unsuitable in acquainted settings. Had she not been proper there, Kona may not have survived.
“It could easily happen to anyone, and you might not be that lucky to get your child or your pet back,” Spencer warned.
Due to her bravery, Kona is alive and therapeutic, and the bond between the 2 is now stronger than ever.
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