10-year-old Juliana Ossa had to fight off a 9-foot-long alligator to free her leg from its mouth. The Florida girl was in 18 inches of water in a designated swimming area on Saturday afternoon at a lake in Moss Park in Orlando when an alligator bit her.
In an interview with NBC's TODAY, Juliana told her fighting story, "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. 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 me leg out."
She continued, "I was scared at first, but I knew what to do."
When Juliana reached the shore, her step uncle pulled her out and took her to a picnic table nearby. Kevin Brito, a paramedic, then stepped in to take care of Juliana's wound. Brito said that Juliana stayed calm the whole time and said, "She also commented that if something is going to attack her, she has to attack back."
Such a brave little girl! We're so glad she fought back and she's okay!
Photo: Getty Images