When we go for a walk, it’s common to see other people out walking. Sometimes they’re pushing a baby in a stroller or walking a dog. This is normal. This is something that is not at all concerning.

What would be concerning is to go for a walk and see a wild animal walking nearby. Depending on where you live, this could mean encountering a coyote, a bear or even an alligator. Thankfully, we have never run into a wild animal while going for a walk, but if we did, we would certainly be on our guard and try to get away from the animal as quickly as possible instead of going on our walk as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

One man was walking near the Warm Mineral Springs Motel in North Port, Florida, when he saw something moving in the bushes. He noticed a dark creature, but didn’t see it close up and assumed it was a dog. He didn’t move away from it. He continued walking as if something out of the ordinary was going on because that is what he believed. He was wrong. The animal in the bushes was not a dog. It was actually a 7-foot long alligator.

Watch the video below for more about this alligator bite.

Douglas Johnson, a spokesman for the Sarasota County Sheriff, said in a statement that when the man didn’t move out of the alligator’s way, “the alligator bit his right leg, holding on, and pulling on his muscle/tissue. He advised he attempted to get away at that point and felt the alligator rip a chunk of his muscle/tissue off.”

A deputy who was nearby on another call came to the man’s rescue, and he was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Venice for treatment. Meanwhile, a sheriff’s sergeant was able to successfully capture the alligator. The animal is being held alive a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trapper and is going to be transferred to Townsend Farms in Labelle, Florida.

The man who was bitten by the alligator has already been released from the hospital. He is doing well and should make a full recovery.

Have you ever seen a wild animal while going for a walk? What would you do if you did? Does it surprise you that someone could mistake an alligator for a dog?