Animals

Lakeland Police say an alligator bit off part of a 21-year-old man's arm when he jumped into a lake behind his apartment following a domestic disturbance. A sign warning of gators was posted at the lake, according to the police report. Sgt. Gary Gross said in a news release. She said her son had run into a wooded area behind their apartment in Lakeland.

A panther has been found dead after an apparent fight with another panther southwest Florida. A total of 20 Florida panthers have been found dead in 2016.

Members of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies are working to determine if a recent influx of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle deaths in Mississippi are linked to the 2010 BP oil spill.

Alachua County Animal Services will be hosting free adoptions this Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.. The shelter has reached full capacity and is waiving fees in order to encourage more people to to adopt.

Tori Tinney and her pet llama, Maverick, competed in the Levy County Fair and brought home a few awards. The Levy County Fair is the first county fair in Florida to offer llama competitions in recent years.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working to hold another bear hunt. The first hunt after two decades, held in October 2015, was highly controversial and another bear hunt could draw protest from opponents.

In 2006, after nine people were injured by sturgeons after they jumped out of water, an FWC employee started to take notice and helped create a public-awareness campaign.

All proceeds went to the UF Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Josh and Friends Project, which gives hospitalized children a plush dog to serve as their "hospital buddy."