A Florida man who was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park on Wednesday, but lived, is lucky compared to other Floridians – killed by a bear and an alligator this week.
A 47-year-old man from Cape Coral, Florida, suffered only minor injuries when he was gored by a bison Wednesday afternoon in the Lake Village area of the Park, according to the National Park Service (NPS).
The NPS didn’t release the man’s name.
However, he was lucky compared to Cynthia Diekema, 61, of Davenport, Florida, who was killed Tuesday by an alligator. And Robert Markel, 89, of Collier County, Florida, who was killed by a black bear on Monday.
Bear Attack
Markel and his dog were killed Monday in a rural area near Naples, in southwest Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The incident was still under investigation, and wildlife agents suspect that Markel and the dog might not have been killed at the same time, and that more than one bear might have been involved.
FWC agents killed three bears late Monday near the scene of the attacks. DNA samples from those bears were sent to a laboratory, to determine if any, or all of them were involved in killing Markel and his dog.
Black bears in the eastern United States are gigantic compared to black bears in Wyoming. In some cases, they’re even bigger than Wyoming grizzlies.
Canoe Trip Turns Fatal
The fatal alligator attack occurred when Diekema and her husband were canoeing Tuesday afternoon on Lake Kissimmee, south of Orlando, FWC reported.
She was in the bow of the 14-foot canoe in about 2.5 feet of water. Apparently, the couple inadvertently went over the top of a large alligator.
The alligator began thrashing and capsized the canoe, throwing the couple into the water. Diekema ended up on top of the alligator, which started biting her, according to FWC.
Her husband tried unsuccessfully to fend the alligator off, and Diekema was later pulled from the water by first responders and declared dead at the scene.
Trappers caught two alligators near the scene late Tuesday – including one that was roughly 11 feet long and matched the description of the animal involved in the attack, according to FWC.
In March, a woman who was kayaking in the same area was bitten on the elbow by an alligator, FWC reported.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
