FLORIDA
Investigators have discovered a human arm inside the stomach of a Florida alligator. The arm may have belonged to a woman who was walking her dogs in the park where the alligator lived, and who is now presumed dead.
According to ABC Local 10 News, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ordered a necropsy, or animal autopsy, on a 12-and-a-half foot alligator caught from Silver Lakes Rotary Nature Park. When the cut open the animal to investigate the contents of its stomach, they found an arm presumed to be of Plantation, Florida resident Shizuka Matsuki, who had disappeared recently.
Matsuki’s husband asked her to walk the dogs while he’s out of town in Chicago, but had warned about this particular park, Local 10 reported. While there are signs warning visitors not to swim in the lake, one resident criticized the park supervisors for not including signs specifically about the alligators and snakes in the park.
One resident saw a woman walking her dogs near the park, and then later, three dogs were found wandering alone, one of which was injured. Broward County Animal Control and Adoption Agency said that they had taken custody of the dogs. Only one car was parked at the park, one which was registered to Matsuki and her husband.
According to Key West Aquarium, alligator attacks on humans are considered rare, with 23 recorded fatalities since the early 1970’s. Alligators are the largest reptile in North America. While they are common today, over-hunting almost drove American alligators to extinction in the 1950’s. Now there are enough alligators in Florida that the species is their state reptile, a major part of tourism attractions, and regularly hunted for food and sport.
The search for the rest of Matsuki’s body will continue in the park.
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