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A father and son were stranded in the Florida Everglades on December 4 after their ATV got stuck in the mud.
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The father called 911 just before sunset and reported: “The alligator is hungry.”
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The Collier County Sheriff’s Office aviation unit successfully rescued two people, officials said
A man and his son were rescued safely after being trapped and surrounded by “hungry” alligators in the Big Cypress National Park Preserve.
The father and son, whose identities have not been revealed, were riding an all-terrain vehicle in the Florida Everglades in the Big Cypress National Park Preserve on Dec. 4.
According to WMGT, the father called 911 30 minutes before sunset to say the car was out of gas and they were stranded.
“We’re stuck in the mud,” the father can be heard saying in a 911 audio dispatch shared by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). “Now we’re just stuck here, far away.” He later added that he used the vehicle’s remaining fuel to try to get out of the mud, but failed.
The man said he and his son were “almost out of water” and had no food, water or flashlights. After the two took off their shoes in the thick mud, they were also barefoot. “So we were barefoot,” he said, WMGT reported.
As the sun began to set, they were able to light a fire to stay warm. But they still have to deal with wild animals.
“The sun is going down and the gators are hungry, man,” the man said, WMGT reported.
“When the sun goes down in the middle of the Everglades, you need to get people out,” Sheriff Kevin Lamboske said later.
Emergency crews found the pair via helicopter, and video showed the pair waving their arms in the air to attract the attention of rescuers. Their small firepower also helped CCSO aviation find them.
The pair were rescued from the Everglades by helicopter just before sunset. No one was injured.
Collier County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
Rescue scene video
“This is yet another example of CCSO putting excellent training into practice and a seamless partnership that succeeds,” CCSO wrote in its press release.
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PEOPLE reached out to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
Read the original article on People
