Alligator trapper mauled by gator at popular hunting attraction, FL cops say
.jpg "The alligator attack occurred at Alligator Alley Outfitters in Arcadia, Florida, which promotes guided alligator and wild hog hunting expeditions. This is not the alligator that was involved in the attack.")
An alligator attacked and seriously injured a trapper at a Florida facility famous for hosting “mega trophy alligator” hunts, according to investigators.
It happened around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, at Alligator Alley Outfitters in Arcadia, and the victim was identified as Scott Lang, the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office said in a report released to McClatchy News.
“We need help. I got a man was bit by an alligator,” a 911 caller reported. “He’s a state trapper and he was releasing a gator. ... We’re an alligator farm and he was releasing it here.”
The caller reported Lang’s left arm was attached only by the skin and was “severed and twisted above the elbow.”
“His (14-year-old) son Ashton Lang provided life-saving care,” DeSoto County officials wrote in the report.
Scott Lang was flown to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for treatment and details of his condition have not been released as of April 11.
The alligator, estimated at 10 feet, 6 inches, attacked Lang after protective tape was removed from its jaws during the relocation effort, WTVT reported.
The gator was killed shortly after the attack, the sheriff’s office said.
Alligator Alley Outfitters offers guided alligator and wild hog hunting expeditions on private land. The alligators hunted are between 8 and 10 feet, but “10+ foot monsters are in the swamp as well,” the company says.
“All of our alligator hunts are fully guaranteed and take place in a private hunting preserve so we can offer hunts 365 days a year,” the company says.
“We provide all necessary licenses and equipment and no age restrictions as long as minors are accompanied by a legal guardian.”
The site is about a 90-mile drive southeast from Tampa.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports “serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida.”
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Alligator trapper mauled by gator at popular hunting attraction, FL cops say."