Elderly woman killed by two alligators after falling into Florida pond
An elderly woman was killed by two alligators in a pond near her home, officials in Sarasota County, Florida, said late Friday night. Officials said the alligators grabbed her after she fell into the water.
At approximately 7:47 p.m., the woman was seen falling into a pond along the course at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood, according to a statement from the Sarasota County Sheriff's office. The woman "struggled to stay afloat" before two nearby alligators grabbed her, authorities said.
The woman, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have since captured the alligators and have removed them from the pond.
This is not the first alligator-related death this year. In June, a person was killed after an alligator pulled them into a pond in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Weeks earlier, a 47-year-old man found dead in a gator-filled lake was discovered to be missing three limbs.
The animals have been spotted multiple times in the southeast in recent months— and two were even seen as far north as Wisconsin.
Though they often gain national attention, alligator bites are relatively rare, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In 2021, the commission said the state has averaged eight unprovoked bites per year that required serious medical attention over the last 10 years.
"The likelihood of a Florida resident being seriously injured during an unprovoked alligator incident in Florida is roughly only one in 3.1 million," the commission said. From 1948 to 2021, only 26 people have been killed by alligator bites in Florida, the commission added.