Rosie Moore Blocks Alligator Bite With Camera During Everglades Night Swim at 30

Q: How did a wildlife researcher's camera become the ultimate shield against a surprise nocturnal alligator attack in the Everglades?

Rosie Moore survived because she had just enough warning to turn her camera into a barrier between herself and the charging alligator. Moore said she was filming one alligator during a nighttime swim in the Everglades when another animal approached unseen from behind. With her head mostly underwater and her attention fixed on the camera, she only realized the danger after hearing movement in the trees moments before the lunge. She reacted instinctively, swinging the camera into the alligator’s path. The gator bit the equipment instead of her, effectively using the camera as a decoy and shield. Moore said the animal also scratched the top of her head, but then released its grip after apparently realizing the camera was not prey. That split-second move gave her time to escape. Once the alligator let go, she climbed out of the water and reached the bank safely. Moore later said the incident left her shaken for about two months, but it did not end her fieldwork. As a reptile researcher affiliated with the International SeaKeepers Society, she regularly works around sharks, crocodiles, pythons and other high-risk wildlife, driven by a goal of understanding animals many people fear.

2 articles · Updated · Yahoo Canada Shine On · Aug 24

Rosie Moore, 30, said she escaped injury after an alligator lunged at her during a night swim in the Everglades and bit her camera instead.
The attack happened last year while she was filming one alligator in the dark and failed to notice others nearby; hearing movement behind a tree, she swung the camera into the animal's path.
The alligator left a large scratch on the camera dome, dropped it when it realized it was not food, and gave Moore enough time to reach the bank and get out.
Moore said the encounter left her traumatized for two months, but she returned to fieldwork that includes tagging dangerous wildlife through her reptile nonprofit and the International SeaKeepers Society.

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Yahoo Canada Shine On7h ago

Wildlife Researcher Rosie Moore Blocks Alligator Bite with Camera During Night Swim

PEOPLE7h ago

Diver Shares How 'Barely' Escaped a Fatal Bite from an Alligator (Exclusive)

How did a wildlife researcher's camera become the ultimate shield against a surprise nocturnal alligator attack in the Everglades?

Could the rapid spread of invasive spectacled caimans make Florida's restored freshwater habitats even more dangerous for native wildlife?

What drives scientists to risk their lives swimming with deadly nocturnal predators to understand the animals we fear most?

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2 total

Yahoo Canada Shine On7h ago

Wildlife Researcher Rosie Moore Blocks Alligator Bite with Camera During Night Swim

PEOPLE7h ago

Diver Shares How 'Barely' Escaped a Fatal Bite from an Alligator (Exclusive)

Rosie Moore Blocks Alligator Bite With Camera During Everglades Night Swim at 30

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