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It was a tough week for the little boys of Florida, filled with attacks of both the shark and alligator variety.
Thankfully, two boys in the state are safe after surviving separate attacks by Florida’s most feared predators.
The first incident happened Wednesday in Delray Beach. Nine-year-old Colten Cicarelli was playing with his family at a public beach when he thought he stepped on a rock. In actuality, he had stepped into the mouth of a shark, according to WPTV.
“Luckily, the shark let go of him,” a surgeon told the station.
Doctors were able to repair tendons in Colton’s foot, and he’s expected to make a full recovery.
Also in South Florida this weekend, a 6-year-old survived a gator attack. According to Local 10, Joey Welch was with his family at Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge in Boynton Beach on Friday when he ran off and slipped off a dock. The boy nearly fell right on top of an alligator in the water.
“I went in it and there was a splash. The alligator just swam into me and clamped my arm,” the boy told the station.
The boy’s father, Joseph, and a nearby good Samaritan took action. Dad jumped into the water and began punching the gator, and the stranger kicked it several times in the stomach. Finally, the reptile let go.
The boy was transferred to a nearby hospital and had only minimal damage. The gator was caught and euthanized.
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