An evening walk turned into a terrifying ordeal for a Florida woman when an alligator near her mobile home attacked her. While walking her Shih Tzu, Queen, 84-year-old Del Boppel felt something was off when she walked near a pond and noticed the reptile’s eyes staring at her.
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The senior citizen recalled how the 7-foot alligator lunged at her, and in a quick moment, she threw Queen in the air, hoping to keep the small dog out of harm’s way. “That alligator took off like 35 miles an hour, and I am not joking,” Boppel exclaimed. It was like a torpedo. I have never seen anything move that fast in all my life. I didn’t have time to think.” According to WLBT, the alligator snapped at her, but Boppel fought back and punched in the reptile desperately to defend herself. After several hits, the alligator retreated before injuring her leg and fingers.
Reflecting on the incident, Boppel called it “a moment of survival.” Despite her injuries, she remains in good spirits as she recovers at the hospital. However, she expressed frustration with her mobile home community since she had previously voiced concerns about the large alligators that have been co-habitating in the area but didn’t receive any response.
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She hopes her experience serves as a warning to others and that no one else will have to endure the same terrifying encounter. As the senior citizen continues to recover, Boppel is thankful to have survived the frightening attack and looks forward to reuniting with her dog, grateful that they both survived the ordeal relatively unscathed.