Crocodile fears rise after brutal deadly attack with warning to watch out for small children and pets

An alligator has been spotted eating a small dog in a Florida canal, causing horror and unrest among residents.

The creature ate a pet pug while the locals looked on in horror.

Community members are now calling for more security measures in the area.

The incident happened nearby Pastor Lakeabout 15 miles south of Cape Canaveral.

“He had this dog’s front paw in his mouth, and the dog was completely limp, so he had clearly already drowned,” Robert Pettit told local Fox affiliate WOFL.

“When I saw the dog, I said it’s someone’s pet, and they still don’t know what happened to it, so it was hard to see,” another witness, Eric Sedej, told the publication.

Sedej recalled how the alligator carried the pug for hours before passing under a pier.

Alligators are rare in the area surrounding Lake Shepherd, but the warm weather is said to attract them to the area.

“This is a danger to the neighborhood. This is terrifying,” Sedej continued.

The incident is an important reminder to keep a close eye on small children and pets in crocodile-prone areas.

Last July, two Americans were mauled by a crocodile at a popular resort in Mexico.

Monday’s attack left an identified man, 24, and his 30-year-old friend, both believed to be from Illinois, in need of hospital treatment.

It is believed that the young man was attacked by the crocodile while swimming at Bocanegra beach.

His friend was injured after jumping to his aid, according to local reports.

Kiana Hummel, 18, was a native of Nevada swimming in the ocean near his Marriot resort in Puerto Vallerta last July when she was attacked.

The 12-foot-long alligator jumped out of nowhere and grabbed her right leg, she said.

Hummel said she was almost out of the water when the alligator grabbed her left ankle and dragged her underwater.

She said: “I didn’t think I was going to get out that second time. It was really bad.”

Eventually, the group of people who gathered were able to pull the alligator off of Hummel and get her to safety.

He suffered extensive muscle and tissue damage down to the bone, according to reports at the time.

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