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TAMPA, FL (USA) — This
may go down in history as the weirdest tag-team mud-wrestling match
ever. On one side, weighing in at 70 pounds (32kg), we have
"Coconut" the dog, assisted by 34-year-old Tony Demaso, his
other dog and a car. On the other side, weighing in at 400 pounds
(180kg), we have one very mean alligator.
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At Gatorland
in Orlando, Florida, a sign offers some sage words of wisdom: "Never
insult an alligator until after you've crossed the river."
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The Tampa
Tribune reported this morning that Coconut, a three-year-old
Labrador retriever-Weimaraner mix, was attacked by an 8½-foot long gator
in a pond at the International Plaza mall on West Shore Boulevard.
The dog's guardian, Mr. Demaso, was able to wade in and rescue the
70-pound (32kg) dog by grabbing her around the waist and towing her some
25ft. back to shore with the hungry gator snapping at his back the whole
way.
Even after they had gotten onto dry land,
the enormous reptile continued to pursue them. The man said he had
to position his car as a barricade against the beast while he loaded up
his two dogs and then sped off.
Mr. Demaso told authorities that he had
gone there on Friday afternoon to let his two dogs run and swim in the
presumably safe recreational area. He was initially alerted to the
hazard by Cocunut's yelping as she struggled to swim back to shore.
"I thought initially she was stuck
in the mud,'' he said. "When I got in chest-high, I saw a big
bite mark on her face. At that time, I knew something was horribly
wrong."
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It was only after he had reached the
injured dog that he realized that they were being chased by an adult
alligator.
"It was right at my back," said
Mr. Demaso. "It touched me."
After they had escaped and had a chance
to calm their nerves (and maybe enjoy a victory meal—Creole gumbo,
anyone?), Mr. Demaso reported the
attack to the police. A trapper for the state Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission was sent to the mall where a large alligator was
found and removed from the pond, according to Tampa Police Lt. Tom Wolff.
Although Coconut had to be treated for multiple injuries, at least she
was still alive at the end of the day. The ill-fated Labrador's
little trip to the mall ended up with a broken leg, a lost tooth and a
one-inch gash on her nose. Hmm, sounds kind of like shopping on
Christmas Eve.
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