Marion County park closes due to 'large, aggressive' alligator

By Bridgette Norris on Fri, Aug 5, 2016 at 4:01 pm

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Marion County park closes due to 'large, aggressive' alligator

Photo via USA Today

A "large, aggressive" alligator has caused Marion County officials to temporarily close parts of a Dunnellon park.

On Friday, Aug. 5, Marion County Parks and Recreation Department announced on their Facebook page that swimming, tubing, diving and paddle boarding at K.P. Hole is temporarily closed because an alligator was reported upriver.

The city's Facebook warning has prompted locals to share their own close encounters with the gator, which include stories like this one:

"The gator rushed into the water and started swimming extremely fast towards a couple kids.. Barely making it out of the water. The gator was right at their heels when they made it out. It wasn't just a normal gator passing by. I've tubed many times passing gators by a couple feet, this encounter was clearly different."

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working on capturing the gator, but the park will remain closed until further notice.