While alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, they are becoming more common as more humans move to alligator-populated areas. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. When Covert was about four feet from the edge of the water, the alligator attacked and dragged her into the water, according to the incident report. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, a statement from the Horry County Police Department. Alligators are naturally afraid of humans, but will attack in certain instances. One person has been killed in a fatal alligator attack in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In many instances, there are several of factors that contribute to an alligator attack. While he was unaware of the details of Mondays alligator attack, Mr. Butfiloski said that such attacks typically happen when a person is near the edge of a body of water, and occur more frequently when a person is accompanied by a pet. The Charleston County Sheriffs Office responded to the incident on Salt Cedar Lane, Kiawah Island around 5 p.m. Friday. First published on August 15, 2022 / 7:30 PM. But, theres a caveat. A woman killed by an alligator at a South Carolina pond told a friend she wanted to get close to the animal and didn't scream as it attacked her and dragged her . Alligators tend to be more active at night, Mr. Butfiloski said, and come out around dusk. Authorities previously confirmed to PEOPLE that Gloria Serge was "walking her small dog along a retention pool" in the Ft. Pierce community where she lived when an alligator, estimated to be around 10-feet long, "pulled her into the water.". Early in the year, when water is cooler, its common to see them on the banks sunning themselves. 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. From our records, there wasnt an attack from 1915 to 1976, but that could just be because they werent newsworthy back then.. Newly acquired data from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources suggests there has been an increase in the number of alligator encounters in the Palmetto State . ': Hot, hungry alligators are taking lonely strolls in Florida. The deadly attack, in a gated community near Hilton Head Island, S.C., was at least the fourth in the country this year. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. CLICK HERE. Mazzoti added alligators "don't perceive humans as either a threat or as food.". On Monday morning police responded to a report of an alligator attack at a pond inside the. She stated her husband tried hitting the alligator as the alligator kept dragging her friend back into the water.. The body of an 88-year-old woman was found near a pond in a gated community near Hilton Head, South Carolina, after what authorities suspect was an alligator attack. Officials have released a 911 call made after an alligator fatally attacked an 85-year-old woman in Florida earlier this week. In an extremely rare event, a South Carolina woman was killed in an alligator attack Friday on Kiawah Island, according to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office . You try to maintain distance from the banks, and when you see them out, you admire them from afar. Once officers arrived on the scene, officials determined that "an alligator had taken hold of a neighbor and retreated into a nearby retention pond," a statement from the Horry County Police Department said. Alligator attacks are rare, fatal ones even rarer. The good news for humans: Alligators have a natural fear of humans and usually will retreat when approached, Texas Parks and Wildlife says. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The alligator took hold of a person near the edge of a retention pond on Friday,. 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 apparent alligator attack, Woman killed in apparent South Carolina alligator 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. Such attacks are rare in the United States, typically occurring about once a year, but the latest one on Friday was the second in less than a month. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. It was at least the fourth deadly alligator attack in the United States so far this year. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Deadly alligator attacks on humans are rare. The following day, a person walking their dog discovered McGuiness' body along the lake's shoreline. The unnamed victim was found last Friday around 11:45 a.m. near Excalaber Court outside of . On the call, a neighbor who "just happened to look" outside when the attack occurred can be heard frantically telling the 911 operator "the alligator's got her" and to "please hurry," according to ABC affiliate WPBF. By Christian Boschult christian.boschult@myhorrynews.com Jul 15, 2022 0 Alligators like this one. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near a pond in Sun City . A woman was killed in. The victim was recovered from the pond, and the alligator was removed and euthanized on site. According to SCDNR South Carolina has had only three fatal alligator attacks in its recorded history and each occurred within the last four years. A Florida man thought a 7-foot alligator was dog on long leash. At least four people have been killed in alligator attacks in 2022. The womans husband and another man tried beating the alligator with shovels, but the animal swam deeper, the police report said. The fatal alligator attack in South Carolina on Friday was the first in the state since May 2020. Jason Repak, who lives in the same community as the victim, snapped a photo of three alligators behind his condominium last month and posted it on social media. 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. The woman's body was recovered about two hours later, and as of 4 p.m. local time the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources remained on the scene attempting to locate and remove the alligator from the pond, police said. The giant reptile was captured and euthanized on site. CLICK HERE. As of August, there were 23 total alligator attacks since 1915, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Please enter valid email address to continue. Last week, an alligator attacked and ate a 40-pound dog that was playing fetch with his owner in Florida's J.R. Alford Greenway Trail. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Then, the gator bit his leg. Nationally, between 1948 and August 2004, 376 injuries and 15 deaths as a result of alligator encounters were reported in the U.S., which means one reported death every three to four years,according to a 2004 studyin the peer-revieWilderness & Environmental Medicine journal. However, the study at the time cited the need for a "uniform reporting system among states" to get more complete information on alligator encounters. The sheriff's office received a call around 11:15 a.m. Monday about a large alligator in a gated community by the edge of a pond, guarding a person's body. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. A woman killed by an alligator at a South Carolina pond told a friend she wanted to get close to the animal and didn't scream as it attacked her and dragged her into the water, according to a police report. 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. 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. Police said the victim, whose identity has not been released yet, was recovered from the pond and the alligator was removed. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Firefighters used poles to get Covert out of the pond but she died at the hospital, authorities said. Don't turn and run, expert warns, according toThe National Wildlife Federation. by Mandy Matney May 4, 2020. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Fatal alligator attacks are typically rare in the United States, with the Center for Disease and Prevention reporting that alligators killed only 10 people in the Southeast from 1999 to 2019. She kept yelling as Covert crept closer to the gator. 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. 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. "It's too late," the neighbor said. Fatal alligator attacks are rare rare enough that they attract a lot of attention when they happen. A biologist and a contracted alligator removal service from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources determined the alligator should be humanely euthanized on site, according to police. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. An 88-year-old woman was killed in an alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, officials said, the second fatal attack in the state in 2022 and at least the fourth nationwide this year. 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. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says, you have a better chance of getting attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park, Hot, hungry alligators are taking lonely strolls in Florida, meaning there could be an increase in alligator activity, Alligators have a natural fear of humans and usually will retreat when approached, Texas Parks and Wildlife says, Experts from the University of Florida say, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. She survived the incident. Studio, Officials Say Shark Attacked Woman Who Vanished While Snorkeling with Husband, Blast 'Conspiracy Theories', Woman Who Vanished in Shark Attack While Snorkeling with Husband Was 'Following Dreams' on Hawaii Trip, Shocking Video Shows Fla. Man Trapping Alligator into Garbage Bin: 'Somebody's Gotta Step Up', Elderly Florida Woman Killed by 2 Alligators After Falling into a Pond Near Her Home, Fla. Man Attacked by 7-Foot Alligator Outside Motel After Mistaking It For a Dog, 1 Dead in Fatal Alligator Attack at South Carolina Retention Pond Near Myrtle Beach, Florida Deputies Relocate Alligator Found in Garage Near Sheriff's Office: 'Later Gator! In 2018, an eight-foot-long . The black Labrador retriever mix was standing up to his. "I see her," the neighbor said with audible emotion in her voice. But fatal gator attacks are rare. An autopsy Monday found Covert died of drowning, the Charleston County Coroners Office said. Witness To Fatal SC Alligator Attack Said Victim Was 4 Feet From Pond And Warned Of Danger, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, 100,000 alligators live in South Carolina, South Carolina Beach Access Battle: Lowcountry Residents Turning On Each Other, SC Coronavirus: Projected Death Toll Skyrockets As Cases Climb, LIVE FEED Murdaugh Murders Trial: Day Twenty-Seven, South Carolina Freedom Caucus Files Lawsuit, Murdaugh Murders Trial: Attorney General Stands And Delivers. The police believe that Mr. McGuinness, 47, had entered the lake in John S. Taylor Park at night. Because theyre cold blooded animals, they regulate their body temperature as best they can based on the environment, he said. An autopsy Monday found Covert died of drowning, the Charleston County Coroner's Office said. Market data provided by Factset. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alligator attack that left one person dead in Sun City. Leanne Golino. 8/16/2022. Gator attack:A Florida man thought a 7-foot alligator was dog on long leash. Sure, the baby alligator is certainly not a common sight at the popular coffee shop. Photo: Getty. The last fatal alligator attack to occur in South Carolina was in May 2020, when a 58-year-old woman saw an alligator and went to touch it, despite her friend's warnings, according to The Post and Courier. The animal latched onto Covert's left leg and began pulling her into. In an extremely rare event, a South Carolina woman was killed in an alligator attack Friday on Kiawah Island, according to the Charleston County Sheriffs Office. "I can't see her.". Alligators are mostly concentrated in Florida and Louisiana but are present in several other states. There were an average of about 10 alligator bites a year in the 2010s, compared with an average of eight a year in the 1980s. Before that, Bonnie Walker, 90, wandered off her senior living center and was killed in an attack in Charleston, South Carolina in 2016. Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog, Florida Man Hospitalized After Alligator Bites His Face During Swim Near Tampa, 88-Year-Old S.C. Woman Dead After Being Attacked by Alligator at Retirement Community, 11-Foot Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog, Florida Alligator Stuck in Pond with Her Mouth Taped Shut Is Rescued and Freed After 2 Months, Fla. Man Hospitalized After Alligator Bites His Face During Swim Near Tampa, Girl, 16, Dies in Australia Shark Attack After Jumping into Water to Swim with Dolphins: 'We Are Devastated', 10-Ft. Alligator Spotted on a Florida Beach, Body Cam Footage of Paul Pelosi's Attack Released, Showing Moment Assailant Lunged at Him with Hammer, Man Helps Rescue 77-Year-Old Woman Attacked by Alligator at Retirement Community: 'He Saved Her', 'We Were in the Middle of Dancing': Witness Describes Horror of Mass Shooting at Calif. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. Alligator attacks are rare but not surprising, Major Viens said of the area. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) officials urge residents and tourists to never feed alligators as it makes them more aggressive toward humans. ST. LUCIE COUNTY Three more alligators have been removed from the Spanish Lakes Fairways community in northern St. Lucie County after an 85-year-old woman died following a Monday alligator . 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. This marks the fifth alligator death in South Carolina since 2000, according to the Department of Natural Resources and the sheriff's office. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near the pond and slipped in. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Mazzotti says he believes a major factor in Clines death was her dog, which alligators perceive as food. 1:39 A person in South Carolina was killed by an alligator Friday near a community retention pond outside Myrtle Beach, authorities said. Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter:@jordan_mendoza5. ". 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