Girl, 10, saved herself from being eaten by alligator using trick she learned at gator-themed amusement park
Kit Roberts
Featured Image Credit: NBC News/ABC Action News via YouTube
A ten-year-old girl once survived being attacked by an alligator using a clever trick.
Once an alligator has you in its jaws, there's probably not a huge amount you can do except hope that it lets go.
But Juliana Ossa somehow managed to escape an alligator's grasp by using an ingenious technique.
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The ten-year-old had been swimming in around two feet of water on April 20, 2017 in Moss Park in Orlando when the alligator bit her and kept its jaws clamped around her leg.
Alligators often attack their prey by grabbing hold of it and dragging it into water.
So if one does get hold of you, then somehow persuading it to let go is crucial if you want to get away.
Luckily for Juliana, she knew just the thing to help her when she was attacked.
So how did she manage to escape?
Juliana told NBC's TODAY that she deployed a technique that she had learned during a visit to the theme park, Gatorland.
She said: "I tried hitting it on its forehead to let me go.
"That didn't work, so I thought of a plan they taught in Gatorland.
"The guy was wrestling the alligator with its mouth taped, and in this situation it was the other way around."
Juliana then explained the techinque she'd learnt: "So I stuck my two fingers up its nose so it couldn't breathe — it had to be from its mouth — and he opened it, so it let my leg out."
I mean, it makes complete sense, as alligators are far too tough for hitting them to make any difference.
But like like any animal with lungs, they need to breathe to live.
She added: "I was scared at first, but I knew what to do."
Park rangers captured and euthanised the alligator which had attacked Juliana, and the beach was closed while crews evaluated the situation.
Shortly after she freed herself, Juliana's uncle, Steven Rodriguez, rushed over and got her out of the water.
He told NBC's WESH: "When I got her to the shore I let her down and I saw how much blood was coming out of her leg, so I picked her back up and I walked her to the picnic table."
Kevin Brito, a paramedic that treated Juliana, called her a 'tough little girl'.
On April 22, Juliana was able to return home with her leg encased in bandages.
Gatorland themselves also wished her a 'speedy recovery', writing on Facebook at the time: "We here at Gatorland would like to send our thoughts and prayers out to Juliana & her family. We are happy to hear she is home.
"We wish her a speedy recovery."