The son of a Florida woman whose arm was severed in an alligator attack believes that tourists and social media users are making the reptiles more aggressive toward humans. Zach Guerrina stated that his mother, Dina Spann, 58, was attacked on Saturday while floating in the Silver River in Marion County.

Guerrina, who has spent considerable time in the river himself, noted that he had never encountered an alligator approaching humans during his many visits. He attributed the change in alligator behavior to visitors who are unfamiliar with the animals. "There’s literally videos of people petting alligators. When you do that, these things lose fear of humans and if it gets close enough to you, it’s gonna bite you," he said.

Spann, who was swimming in an area where swimming is prohibited, required an amputation of her right arm below the elbow and also lost at least one finger on her left hand. Guerrina anticipates that more attacks are likely if alligators continue to be fed and approached by people.

He became aware of TikTok videos showing tourists interacting closely with alligators while kayaking on the river after his mother's attack. Guerrina recalled that his family had used the waterway for recreation hundreds of times without incident before.

This incident follows other recent alligator attacks in Florida. In late June, Brittany Clark, 31, was killed by a 13-foot alligator in the Econlockhatchee River. Earlier that same week, an 11-year-old boy from Pennsylvania lost a hand to a gator in Marion County while fishing with his father.

Guerrina expressed his belief that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) should authorize more alligator hunting permits, citing the number of recent attacks. "There’s too many gators out here," he stated. "We’ve got three people that’s been bit these last weeks –– a kid lost his hand, a girl died and now this."

FWC-contracted trappers captured and removed a nearly 10-foot alligator from the Silver River on Sunday, after which the river was reopened to the public. Guerrina described his mother as an animal lover who had recently returned from a trip to Africa.