1 week ago
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A peaceful walk in New Orleans’ City Park turned into a life-or-death struggle when Katharine Hurley’s beloved dog, Mina, was suddenly attacked by an alligator. The terrifying incident happened near Scout Island, a familiar spot for Hurley and her pup—until one moment changed everything.
As Mina leaned down to sniff the edge of the water, an alligator lunged from below the surface. “Within about one second of her putting her head down for two feet in the water, all I saw were huge jaws coming up out of the water, and they grabbed her,” Hurley recalled.
Acting on instinct and pure determination, Hurley rushed to her dog’s aid. She began kicking the gator repeatedly until it finally released Mina. The dog survived but required emergency veterinary care for her injuries. Hurley herself sustained a hairline fracture in her leg during the rescue.
What makes the attack even more troubling is that there were no warning signs posted in the area—despite the known presence of alligators in City Park. “I’ve never once seen a sign that indicated that there were alligators or dangerous alligators or aggressive alligators,” Hurley said. “Everybody I had talked to said it’s never been a problem.”
After reporting the attack to City Park officials, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and New Orleans Police, Hurley learned this wasn’t the first time a dog had been attacked in the park. In fact, another dog had reportedly been killed by an alligator in the same area. Still, no permanent signs had been posted.
Fearing for others, Hurley took matters into her own hands. She created and posted her own warning signs. But within days, the signs were removed. Now, she’s publicly calling on park authorities to install permanent warnings and take proactive measures to protect both pets and people.
“If that had been a child putting their two feet in the water, dragging a kayak in, which I’ve seen people do, and that alligator came up, there’s going to be an accident,” she warned.
Shaken but resolute, Hurley says her experience was traumatizing—but it could have been far worse. She hopes her story will prompt action before another life is lost.
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This content was created with AI assistance and edited by the iHeartDogs team.
English (US) · 