A 10-foot alligator killed a woman who was walking her dog and tried to save her puppy.
The 85-year-old victim was at the Spanish Lakes Fairways retirement community in Fort Pierce, Fla., when the alligator grabbed her dog, residents told WPTV. The woman tried to move her pet away from the hole, but was then attacked herself.
Neighbors said the alligator suddenly came out of the water and dragged the woman in, CBS News reported.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission searched for the alligator, and the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office was supported by an aerial operation, according to WPEC.
“The victim was recovered and a contracted alligator trapper has captured the alligator involved in the incident,” the wildlife commission said.
A nuisance alligator trapper captured the reptile about two hours after the 911 call.
“It was definitely a struggle,” said nuisance gator trapper Robert Lilley. “We caught him at the bottom. It never surfaced. He stayed down the whole time. We were able to put a second hook in him and a hard line in him to be able to get him up.’
Photos and video of the attack on Monday afternoon showed at least six people loading the restrained reptile into a truck.
The woman was not immediately identified.
Her dog survived the attack, according to the wildlife commission.
The gator was estimated to weigh 600 to 700 pounds.
Several roads were closed in the area as authorities investigated the incident.
Fort Pierce is about 70 miles north of West Palm Beach.
It’s not common for alligators to attack people and deaths are rare, according to the wildlife commission. An average of eight unprovoked cat bites requiring medical attention have occurred in Florida in the past decade.
Monday’s attack came a day after a four-foot alligator was pulled from Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn, New York. The creature was rescued in poor condition.
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