Monster nine-foot alligator waited at bloke's door to pounce on him in horror attack

A Florida man was left stunned after opening his door to find an alligator waiting outside, which then savaged part of his leg and left him with horrifying injuries

Lizzie McAllister Acting Assistant Editor, Social Newsdesk

17:35, 20 Mar 2023

Scot Hollingsworth thought he heard a knock at the door when he came across the aggressive beast(Image: Clickorlando.com)

A man was left in shock when he opened his front door to find a nine-foot alligator waiting to pounce outside.

Scot Hollingsworth had been watching TV with his wife at their home in Daytona Beach, Florida, on March 4 when they heard what they thought was a knock at the door.

Hollingsworth went to see who was there and was astounded to find the giant beast, which grabbed onto his thigh with its powerful jaws.

"[I] barely got out the door and got my leg clamped on and [it] started shaking really violently," Hollingsworth told local news outlet Click Orlando.

[Scot Hollingsworth]

The alligator grabbed hold of Hollingsworth's thigh and started shaking(Image: Clickorlando.com)

"It happened so quickly. It was just total surprise and shock."

Hollingsworth was rushed to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and has since been recovering from the ordeal.

He said this isn't the first time he's spotted the large crocodilians behind his home alligators often appear around the property, but he is usually able to keep a safe distance.

"I suspect I surprised the alligator as much as he surprised me," Hollingsworth added.

[Scot Hollingsworth]

Hollingsworth is now recovering from his injuries(Image: Clickorlando.com)

The scaly creature itself was euthanised by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) following the attack as part of an effort to curb the number of "nuisance" alligators, described as "at least 4 feet in length and believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property."

The FWC previously explained: "Once an alligator has become a nuisance and SNAP has deemed its removal necessary, a Nuisance Alligator Trapper will be called in to trap and remove the animal to be euthanised at a later time.

[Alligator]

The alligator was euthanised following the incident(Image: Clickorlando.com)

"Nuisance alligators in Florida are euthanised, rather than relocated. This is because relocated alligators usually try to return to the area where they were initially trapped, creating problems along the way and becoming more difficult to recapture.

"Relocation across a great distance isn't the answer either. The introduction of a relocated alligator would create potential issues for the alligator population already living there, including conflict and injury, introduction of disease and ecological disruption."

Around 1.3 million alligators live in Florida, meaning residents of the sunshine state are no strangers to the formidable creatures.

However, people have been warned to be extra vigilant at the moment as wet weather conditions mean the creatures are more active than usual at this time of year and are more likely to be spotted out and about looking for either food or a mate.

Officials have warned people to stay at least 25ft from the water's edge and not to feed any wildlife.

To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here.

READ NEXT:

Article continues below

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.