(WFLX) - A family witnesses a gator take a piece of their tour guide during a boat ride in the Everglades.
The airboat captain was trying to get the 9-foot gator's attention when, all of a sudden, the large animal had his hand in its powerful jaws.
The family, which included two children, thought the whole incident was a joke at first "He was patting the water, and, I think, trying to get him to come back up," recalled witness Judy Chroniak-Hatt. "I was sitting there in the seat thinking is this thing really biting him or is he playing a game."
The gator ended up being euthanized in order to save the hand which, in turn, was not able to be reattached.
Florida Wildlife Commission is investigating the incident, and the captain could be facing criminal charges.
For now, he is recovering in the hospital, and family and co-workers have set up a fund for donations.
Video, displayed above, shows another tour guide working for the same company taunting a gator just days before this incident.
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