Man on chemo pulls eagle from gator's mouth

PARRISH (FOX 13) - An eagle was rescued from the jaws of an alligator Thursday, but tragically the beautiful bird of prey did not survive the ordeal, in the end. 

Justin Matthews said in a post on Facebook, the eagle was rescued by a man named David - a man currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments - from water in the Copper Stone subdivision. 

Matthews said David saw an alligator with the eagle in its jaws, so he waded into the water and pulled the eagle away.

David told Matthews he "couldn't watch America's symbol die."

The bird apparently has a nest nearby, as well as a mate.The nest, according to Matthews, is on a cell phone tower in Parrish, close to Harrison Ranch. 

The injured eagle was taken to Save Our Seabirds in Sarasota, but unfortunately had to be euthanized shortly afterward. 

A previous version of this story said the man who retrieved the eagle is a veteran, but he is not. We regret the error.