Legal Statement. ". Moments before the attack, the womans friend warned her to not get closer to the alligator, according to a sheriffs office incident report obtained by FITSNews, but reported first by the Post and Courier. The Florida commission says the chances of a Florida resident being seriously injured in an unprovoked alligator attack are in one in 3.1 million. A biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and an alligator-removal contractor determined that the animal needed to be humanely euthanized on site, the police said. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) officials urge residents and tourists to never feed alligators as it makes them more aggressive toward humans. Mazzoti added alligators "don't perceive humans as either a threat or as food.". "She was walking her little dog, and the gator grabbed the dog," the neighbor added. Legal Statement. Police said the victim, whose identity has not been released yet, was recovered from the pond and the alligator was removed. Last summer, a 68-year-old woman was hospitalized after an alligator attack in Sun City-Hilton Head, the Island Packet repotted. Elderly South Carolina Woman Killed by an Alligator After Falling into Pond. A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal, according to the police report released Monday. While mating season brings an increase in their movement around May and June, alligator movement this time of year tends to be among waterways. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The alligator took hold of a person near the edge of a retention pond on Friday,. The victim, identified as Cynthia Covert, was dragged into a pond behind her friend's home on Kiawah Island, near Charleston, and said calmly, "I guess I won't do this again," as her friend tried to pull her away from the alligator. A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal . In many instances, there are several of factors that contribute to an alligator attack. A woman was killed in an alligator attack Monday in South Carolina,officials confirmed,in what has become an unusual year for alligator attacks. According to a 2019 University of Florida analysis, venomous injuries largely from contact with hornets, wasps and bees resulted in an average of more than 56 fatalities per year in the United States, compared with about one per year from alligator attacks. All Rights Reserved. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Anyone can read what you share. Fatal alligator attacks are rare in the United States. Serge was remembered by loved ones as being a "good friend. South Carolina has been home to over 100,000 alligators. Gator attack:A Florida man thought a 7-foot alligator was dog on long leash. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. A 43-year-old man was attackedby an alligatorand treated for a "serious injury in his arm" onJuly 20and a 34-year-old man was bit on his face during a swim in a Florida lake onAug. 4. The authorities did not release the victims name, age or other circumstances about the attack. At least four people have been killed in alligator attacks in 2022. Everybody treats them with a healthy respect. The Charleston County Sheriffs Office responded to the incident on Salt Cedar Lane, Kiawah Island around 5 p.m. Friday. In 2018, an eight-foot-long . Alligators are found throughout the Southeast and wetlands, with their range stretching as far west as eastern Texas, and as far east as coastal North Carolina, according toThe National Wildlife Federation. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Early in the year, when water is cooler, its common to see them on the banks sunning themselves. Firefighters used poles to get Covert out of the pond but she died at the hospital, authorities said. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Mazzotti says he believes a major factor in Clines death was her dog, which alligators perceive as food. Please enter valid email address to continue. Aug. 15, 2022 The body of an 88-year-old woman who was killed by an alligator was discovered on Monday in a pond in a gated community near Hilton Head Island, S.C., officials said. On Monday morning police responded to a report of an alligator attack at a pond inside the Sun City . Covert was pulled under the water shortly after, the report read. / CBS News. The woman was walking her dog around a Hilton Head. An estimated 5 million wild American alligators live across 10 states in Southeast and beyond - even in the southeastern tip of Oklahoma. Cynthia Covert, 58, drowned Friday after an alligator repeatedly pulled her into a pond on Kiawah Island, according to a report from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office. An 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina Aug. 15, 2022. For reference, you have a better chance of getting attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park. Fraser actually marketed the Sea Pines Resort using the allure of alligators. Also make yourself appear as big as possible, the bigger you appear, the less likely the gator is to engage.. Officials have released a 911 call made after an alligator fatally attacked an 85-year-old woman in Florida earlier this week. The witness said Covert was not acting like her normal self. She said she was cleaning up and noticed her friend on the back steps, very close to the alligator. A woman in South Carolina was killed by an alligator Monday, the state's second deadly attack this year, authorities said.The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and other emergency services were at . As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The unnamed victim was found last Friday around 11:45 a.m. near Excalaber Court outside of . by Mandy Matney May 4, 2020. But fatal gator attacks are rare. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter:@jordan_mendoza5. This is the first deadly alligator attack in the state since May 2020, according to authorities. T he death of Cassandra Cline, a 45-year-old . The womans husband and another man tried beating the alligator with shovels, but the animal swam deeper, the police report said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. First responders were then able to pull the womans body from the water. The witness told police that her friend, later identified as 58-year-old Cynthia Covert, of Johns Island, was visiting her home Friday afternoon. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. My prayers and heart go out to the family as my arms wrap tighter around my kids and dogs near these ponds.. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Just off of Cape Point this 1,500 shark was spotted on February 28th. Treat your dog like you would treat your child.. Deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman on Friday, authorities said. Associate Editor, Human Interest - PEOPLE. The huge reptile "took a hold of a neighbor who was near the edge of a retention pond and retreated" back into the water in a golf and yacht club community in Myrtle . But dangerous human-gator interactions are starting to happen more frequently because people are moving deeper into alligators habitat, says University of Florida professor Frank Mazzotti. Leanne Golino. In 2020, an alligator killed 58-year-old Cynthia Covert in a Kiawah Island, South Carolina attack, marking the third fatal alligator attack in state history since 2016. Firefighters used poles to get Covert out of the pond but she died at the hospital, authorities said. It was at. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, a statement from the Horry County Police Department. Experts from the University of Florida say to run in a straight line if an alligator is chasing you. It appears she was gardening near a pond in an adult-only . Her death has been. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Rescuers determined that an alligator took hold of a neighbor who was near the edge of a retention pond and retreated into it, the department said in a statement. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alligator attack that left one person dead in Sun City. A Florida man was killed by an alligator while retrieving frisbees from a lake in Largo on May 31. The Associated Press. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near a pond in Sun City Hilton Head, an adult-only community, and slipped in, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Natural Resources. Don't turn and run, expert warns, according toThe National Wildlife Federation. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Woman killed in South Carolina gator attack, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect. This marks the fifth alligator death in South Carolina since 2000, according to the Department of Natural Resources and the sheriff's office. "Anytime you show up next to water, you're assuming some risk Don't tempt it.". A baby alligator was spotted running on the loose outside of a South Carolina Starbucks recently. This is at least the third fatal alligator attack in South Carolina in the past four years. All rights reserved. Responders found the gator "guarding" Becker, officials said. A woman who was attacked by an alligator Thursday on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina was rescued by a neighbor who hit the animal with a shovel, authorities said. June 25, 2022 / 2:26 PM / CBS News. "She fell down and [it] took her.". In July, a 75-year-old Callawassie Island woman was trimming plants near a community pond when an alligator latched onto her and pulled her into . Magazines, Digital When nuisance trappers go into an area with gators theyll often play a recording of a dog barking and the gators will come and investigate.. Alligators only attack when threatened or cornered, but if a human is in water with alligators, it may entice them. She kept yelling as Covert crept closer to the gator. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. Cline, a 68-year-old woman was killed by an alligator is chasing.! Get Covert out of the pond but she died at the hospital, authorities said in Sun.... 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