GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A nearly 12-foot alligator that swam within inches of a terrified paddleboarder last September has been killed, Florida wildlife officials said Wednesday.
The male gator, which measured 11 feet, 10 inches long, was shot in the head on Feb. 22 by a trapper who was contracted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, according to Fresh Take Florida and WUFT.
The reptile was caught on a video that went viral last year when Vicki Reamy Baker, 60, of Ocala, was paddling on the Silver River in Silver Springs Park. The video, shared on social media by Baker and obtained by WFTV and WUFT, shows the alligator coming within inches of Baker’s paddleboard, hissing loudly and opening its mouth.
The alligator had been a popular sight among kayakers and paddleboarders at the Central Florida state park, as it was usually seen sunning itself on the banks of the Silver River, WUFT reported. The park enforces a no-swimming rule in the river, according to the television station.
>> Watch: Paddleboarder films close encounter with alligator in Florida
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Tammy Sapp confirmed to Fresh Take Florida that the alligator killed on Feb. 22 was the same one seen in the viral videos and photographs.
“There was only one alligator of this size in the area,” Sapp wrote in an email.
The state’s permit authorizing the kill was issued to Will Parker. Sapp confirmed Wednesday that Will Parker, who was issued the state permit authorizing the kill of the alligator, assigned the job to a colleague, Al Roberts, another licensed trapper, according to Fresh Take Florida.
The reptile’s meat and hide were sent to a local processing company.
In a separate video posted on Facebook after the encounter, Baker said she believed someone had been feeding the alligator.
“It makes them very dangerous,” Baker said in the video. “I’ve never had a gator come after me like that before.”
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