A 71-year-old man from Fort Myers, Florida, survived an alligator attack in the canal behind his home by jabbing the animal in the eyes with his thumb and a fishing pole. James Grayson McMicken had gone out with his bulldog for a quiet evening's fishing when the alligator lunged from the water, seized his right leg and dragged him into the canal, leaving him fighting for his life.

McMicken, who recalled thinking he would do everything he could not to die, forced the alligator to release him by repeatedly poking its eyes — a technique he said he had long heard was a last resort. His dog helped him back to his feet, and he walked home, where his wife tended to his wounds before he passed out and was rushed to hospital by his family. He recovered and enjoyed the attention of astonished nurses. The alligator has not been found, and McMicken says he does not intend to move away.