A South Carolina wife-turned-warrior fought off an alligator that attacked her husband in their backyard, according to authorities.
Joseph Roeser was spreading mulch in his property on Wednesday when an alligator came from a neighbouring pond and attacked him, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. His wife, Marian, heard his calls for aid and acted quickly.
“I just grabbed the closest thing I could find – a tomato stake – and started attacking the alligator’s eyes and head,” Marian Roeser said, according to a report from the sheriff’s office. “I knew I had to do whatever it took to save my husband.”
The Sheriff’s Office reported that when first responders arrived at the site about 10:03 a.m., Joseph was conscious and alert.
According to officials, Joseph sustained bite wounds to his leg and abrasions to his head as a result of tumbling into the pavement during the incident. He was sent to a neighbouring hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
Officers from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources arrived at the location shortly after the event.
Because of the alligator’s hostile behaviour, Department of Natural Resources contractors had to euthanise and remove it from the region.
The Roesers, who had been wary of outdoor activities owing to prior alligator sightings in their pond, never expected such a close encounter, according to the sheriff’s office. Marian told authorities that they had been very careful not to do anything in the backyard when they saw the alligator.
The event serves as a caution for residents in coastal South Carolina areas to be cautious of alligators, especially during the spring and summer months when the reptiles are most active, officials advised.
