A Louisiana sheriff’s deputy is expected to make a full recovery after being bitten by an alligator and having to pry his right arm out of its jaws.
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office said deputies were helping animal control officers on Monday to capture the gator, which was approximately five feet long. It had wandered into a backyard in Luling, about 25 miles west of New Orleans.
The deputy, who was not identified, was attempting to tape the alligator’s mouth so it could be safely relocated in the wild.
The alligator was being held by a catch pole, but it was able to pull free and bite the deputy’s right arm.
A second deputy pinned the alligator to keep it from thrashing and rolling, which could have caused more serious injuries. They freed the officer’s arm, but he suffered deep lacerations and puncture wounds.
“He is very fortunate and in good health,” Corp. James Grimaldi told CNN.
Grimaldi said the St. Charles Parish Nuisance Animal Officer decided to euthanize the alligator because it had bitten a human and it was injured in the incident.
The parish has a lot of wetlands, Grimaldi said, so alligator encounters are not out of the ordinary.
“This time of year, it’s common to get calls several times a week for alligators wandering into people’s yards and roadways,” he said.
