A father and son were stranded in the Florida Everglades\u00a0on Dec. 4 when their ATV got stuck in the mud<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The father called 911 just before sunset and reported, “The alligators are hungry”<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The two were successfully rescued by the Collier County Sheriff\u2019s Office Aviation unit, officials said<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A man and his son were safely rescued after being stranded in the Big Cypress National Park Preserve and surrounded by “hungry” alligators.<\/p>\n
The father and son, whose identities have not been revealed, were riding an ATV in the Florida Everglades in the Big Cypress National Park Preserve on Dec. 4.<\/p>\n
Thirty minutes before sunset, the father called 911 and said they got stuck when the vehicle ran out of gas, according to WMGT<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got stuck in a mud hole,\u201d the father is heard saying in the 911 audio dispatch shared by Collier County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a> (CCSO). \u201cNow we\u2019re just here stranded, pretty far.\u201d He later added that he used the remainder of the vehicle’s fuel trying to get out of the mud but failed.<\/p>\n The man said he and his son were \u201calmost out of water,\u201d and had no food, water or flashlights. The two were also barefoot after losing their shoes in the thick mud. \u201cSo we\u2019re barefoot,\u201d he said, according to WMGT.<\/p>\n As the sun began to set, they were able to start a fire to stay warm. But they still had to face the wildlife.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sun\u2019s going down and the alligators are hungry, buddy,\u201d the man said, according to WMGT.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd when the sun goes down in the middle of the Everglades, you need to get people out,” Sheriff Kevin Rambosk later said.<\/p>\n The first responders located the two via helicopter, and footage shows the pair waving their arms in the air to attract the attention of their rescuers. Their small fire also helped the CCSO aviation unit locate them.<\/p>\n The two were rescued from the Everglades via helicopter just before sunset. No one was injured.<\/p>\n Collier County Sheriff’s Office\/Facebook<\/p>\n Footage from the rescue<\/p>\n “This is another example of CCSO\u2019s great training put into practice and the success that comes from seamless partnerships,” the CCSO wrote in its news release.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n PEOPLE reached out to the Collier County Sheriff\u2019s Office for comment.<\/p>\n![\"Collier](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/161645b844764740cf3b575906be0326.jpeg\"\/)
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