Florida alligator killed after biting man - week after toddler was snatched

The attack on the man took place 60 miles from where a toddler was snatched on a Disney resort

Officials said the animal was killed after biting the man in the leg (Sumter County Sheriff's Office-Florida)

Officials in Florida said a man is recovering after a nine-foot alligator attacked him. Wildlife staff killed the animal, which bit the man in the leg.

Reports said the attack on the man took place at Bushnell is about 60 miles away from Disney World in Orlando, where an alligator killed a toddler last week.

The Associated Press said that the man was airlifted to the Ocala Regional Medical Centre after the attack on Tuesday evening.

Officers with the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said they believed the alligator was up to nine foot long.

The attack happened along on the victim’s private property in a rural part of Bushnell. The victim suffered injuries to his right leg, but Chad Weber with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, said the man was alert and talking when he was taken to hospital.

The alligator was euthanised by a Florida Wildlife Commission trapper. It weighed approximately 300lbs.

The incident came a week after a young child was snatched and killed by an alligator at one of its resorts.

Lane Graves was snatched by an alligator at the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa near Orlando. The two-year-old was on holiday with his parents, Matt and Melissa Graves, from Elkhorn, Nebraska. His body was recovered the following day.

Personal injury lawyers have suggested that Disney could find itself on the end of a multi-million dollar lawsuit if it was found that it was was in some way responsible for what happened.