68-year old Alan Abele heard a strange noise, like someone thumping against his back door, early one October morning before dawn. He grabbed a flashlight and a pistol and opened his backdoor. What he found was a 200 pound alligator measuring six feet long... and a pretty angry one at that.
The alligator moved swiftly toward Abele. He told the Tampa Bay Times: “I was crouched down and looking around when he hit me hard enough to knock me into a planter. The next thing I knew he’s coming at me with his jaws open."
He whipped out his pistol and fired. That quick thinking saved his life. The alligator came up just inches short of Abele, who suffered only minor bruises in the attack.
The alligator moved swiftly toward Abele. He told the Tampa Bay Times: “I was crouched down and looking around when he hit me hard enough to knock me into a planter. The next thing I knew he’s coming at me with his jaws open."
He whipped out his pistol and fired. That quick thinking saved his life. The alligator came up just inches short of Abele, who suffered only minor bruises in the attack.