Alligator Rips 'A Chunk' Of Man’s Leg After He Mistakes It For A Dog

North Port, Florida -- A 49-year-old man in Florida was bitten by an alligator after mistaking the 7-foot reptile for a dog.

The gator was removed from the property after ripping “a chunk” from the man’s leg, officials said.

The incident took place Tuesday at around 12:30 a.m. local time, according to Miami Herald. The man was walking outside the Warm Mineral Springs Motel in North Port when he saw a dark figure moving along the bushes on a shell path.

“The figure appeared to look like a dog with a long leash, which is why he wasn’t hesitant to move out of the way,” the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said, according to the outlet. “That’s when the alligator bit his right leg, holding on, and pulling on his muscle/tissue ... He attempted to get away at that point and felt the alligator rip a chunk of his muscle/tissue off.”

A deputy responding to another call in the area who "heard the man yelling that he had been bitten" arrived at the scene, the sheriff’s office said. The deputy called for assistance and then captured the 7-foot-long alligator.

A man, identified as Will, staying at the motel said he saw the deputy holding the gator down.

“He jumped in the middle in the back of that gator. Folded him up and taped him in a ball,” Will told NBC2. “He did it so easily it was almost comical.”

The deputy held the alligator until the trapper arrived. The reptile was taken to Townsend Farms.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the incident. The man bitten by the alligator suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

Witnesses said the reptile may have come from a nearby drain across the street from the motel.

Will said he was hoping the victim will make a full recovery. He also said Florida residents should be accustomed to the occasional sight of an alligator.

“This is Florida. You got to expect to see a gator or you’re not having any fun,” he added.

The state has not had a fatal alligator attack since 2019, according to FWC. However, the data does not include cases that are still undergoing investigation, ABC Action News reported.

Alligator attacks have killed 26 people in Florida since 1948, as per FWC data.