On Monday, a tragic incident occurred in St. Lucie, Florida. An 85-year-old woman was fatally attacked by a 10-foot alligator while walking her dog by a pond in the Spanish Lakes Fairways Community.
The witnesses at the scene called 911. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission along with the county sherrif’s office responded to Picante Circle to investigate.
Sheriff Ken Mascara of St. Lucie County reported that the alligator measured close to eleven feet in length.
Residents of the area informed WPTV that the woman was out near the pond walking her dog when the alligator suddenly snatched it. The woman desperately attempted to free her pet from the gator’s grasp but tragically died in the process.
The woman’s body was soon recovered, and a nuisance gator trapper was called in to capture the alligator.
The FWS expressed their sorrow for the victim and their family, expressing their condolences. They also noted that serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida.
In Florida, alligator attacks are the most frequent among alligator-related incidents in the United States, yet they remain far and few between, as reported by A-Z Animals.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, between 1948 to November 2021, there were 442 unprovoked alligator attacks in the state, with 14 of those attacks proving to be fatal.