A man in Florida was today fighting for his life after being viciously attacked by an alligator, losing one arm and having the other broken.

The man, identified as 45-year-old Adrian Apgar, was rescued by police officials who pulled him from the jaws of the alligator, naked and apparently high on crack cocaine.

He was taken to hospital in critical condition, with his left arm hanging by a tendon, his right arm broken and also suffering leg injuries.

The incident is the latest in a series of alligator attacks which have plagued the sunshine state. In May, Florida was rocked by thee fatal attacks within days of each other, in which the victims – all women – were partly eaten by the fearsome creatures.

Alligators throughout the state have been blamed for about 275 attacks on humans, 21 of them fatal, since records began in 1948. Officials estimate that Florida contains as many as 2 million alligators.

The alarm was raised in the latest incident after several people reported hearing screams for help from central Florida’s Lake Parker at around 4am local time (9am GMT) on Wednesday. Sheriff deputies arrived in time to find the man in the alligator’s grip, and waded through the waist-deep water to wrestle him free.

"He was totally naked," said Grady Judd, Polk County Sheriff, of the victim. "He admitted that he’d been smoking crack cocaine. But still, it’s a human life. Our deputies don’t ask questions, they respond and they save people."

It was unclear whether Mr Apgar had gone swimming or if the creature had snatched him from the bank. A 12 ft (3.6m) alligator was later plucked from the lake, and wildlife officials said it was believed to be the one that had attacked.

The incident comes weeks after it emerged that Florida wildlife officials were considering removing alligators from a list of protected species, enabling homeowners to deal with troublesome creatures themselves.

The changes, which will be debated in December, would downgrade alligators from a species of special concern to a game animal within five years, and then remove them altogether from the state's list of imperilled animals.

Such a move could lift restrictions currently making it illegal for homeowners to kill nuisance alligators on their property.

But Palm Beach County trapper Rick Kramer said removing the constraints could spell trouble for people who aren't professionals. "I think it's going to cause some dangerous situations," he said.

Alligators were once thought to be on the brink of extinction after years of over-hunting. They were listed as endangered species in 1967 but removed from the federal list 20 years later. In Florida, they remained under state protection.

Biologists believe there is now about one alligator for every nine humans living in Florida.

State alligator coordinator Harry Dutton said Tuesday the potential changes had nothing to do with three fatal alligator attacks that occurred in May.

"I wish the three fatalities didn't happen, and if they didn't, this (proposal to change the law) would still be going on. It's just a timely thing to do," he said.

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