Gator attacks Destrehan man fishing in spillway

Wildlife ‘moving around’ because of opening

A Destrehan man was attacked by a 4-foot alligator in the Bonnet Carre Spillway on Sunday, but he only suffered minor injuries.

Chris Brantley, project manager of the spillway, said that the man was fishing along the lower guide levee near Lake Pontchartrain at about 10:30 a.m. when the small alligator bit him on the lower right leg.

"It's unusual that it would come up and strike him like that. Usually they want to stay away, especially a small one like that," Brantley said. The victim claimed that he did not provoke the alligator in any way.

The victim brought himself to the spillway office and then drove himself to a nearby hospital. Brantley said the wounds were superficial, like scratches, and that the man only went to the hospital in order to have them properly cleaned.

While attacks like this are extremely rare in the spillway, Brantley wants to caution all visitors about the wildlife and hazards.

"Alligators are kind of moving around and aren't in their normal spots because of the spillway opening…there are a lot of snakes out too," Brantley said. "We also have a number of culverts still draining water throughout the spillway, so be careful."