A man who lost his ball in a golf course pond in Florida nearly lost an arm when an 3.3m alligator bit him and pulled him in. Bruce Burger, 50, was playing the sixth hole, which has a “Beware of Alligator” sign posted nearby. “Unfortunately, that’s part of Florida,” course general manager Rod Parry said. “There’s wildlife in these ponds.” Burger managed to free himself yesterday by beating the alligator with his other arm, said Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. “I saw him reach down to get his ball and he yelled … ‘Help. Help. I’ve been bitten by a gator’,” said Janet Pallo, who was playing a nearby hole and ran over to drive the man to the clubhouse. Burger was taken to a hospital but was not seriously injured, Morse said today. It took seven Fish and Wildlife officers an hour to trap the one-eyed alligator, Morse said. Source: smh.com.au