2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In July, an elderly woman waskilled by two alligatorsin a pond near her Florida home. ': Hot, hungry alligators are taking lonely strolls in Florida. Firefighters used poles to get Covert out of the pond but she died at the hospital, authorities said. That said, South Carolina's Post and Courier reports that the state recorded five deaths resulting from alligator attacks between 2016 and 2022 but none in the previous 16 years. After the attack, the FWC said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that the alligator was captured and killed by a contracted nuisance alligator trapper. Don't turn and run, expert warns, according toThe National Wildlife Federation. CBS affiliate WCSC-TV reports that the coroner identified the victim as Cynthia . From our records, there wasnt an attack from 1915 to 1976, but that could just be because they werent newsworthy back then.. South Carolina has been home to over 100,000 alligators. The womans husband and another man tried beating the alligator with shovels, but the animal swam deeper, the police report said. Weve always looked at the alligators as a part of the community, he said. The last reported case of a fatal alligator attack in the U.S was in June. It was the fourthdeath from alligator attacks this year after a man was killed looking for Frisbees on May 31 in Florida,another manwas killed near a retention pond in South Carolina on June 24and an 80-year-old Florida woman was killed along a golf course. Last summer, a 68-year-old woman was hospitalized after an alligator attack in Sun City-Hilton Head, the Island Packet repotted. A woman was killed in. Officials have released a 911 call made after an alligator fatally attacked an 85-year-old woman in Florida earlier this week. She was a good friend to a lot of people in the park.". Alligators typically breed and look for new habitats inthe spring and summertime, meaning there could be an increase in alligator activity. Treat your dog like you would treat your child.. Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog. 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. Now and then, he will see photos in the local news media of an alligator out and about, he said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, a statement from the Horry County Police Department. The latest was at least the fourth in the United States since May and the second this year in South Carolina. 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 . Or an issue youd like to address proactively? 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Initially, the Horry County Fire Rescue was dispatched at 11:54 a.m. to a water-related call in the area of Excalibur Court in Myrtle Beach, a statement from the department said. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. She saw an alligator and was fascinated by it and went to touch it, against her friends warning. She kept yelling as Covert crept closer to the gator. An 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina Aug. 15, 2022. An 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, officials 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 black Labrador retriever mix was standing up to his. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. This attack is the fourth reported in Charleston County history, according to SCDNR records. 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. CNN A person was killed by an alligator near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, according to police. ", "She played cards," Sandy Sauers, a friend, told WPBF. An estimated 5 million wild American alligators live across 10 states in Southeast and beyond - even in the southeastern tip of Oklahoma. According to police, the victim, identified as Sean Thomas McGuinness, 47, was believed to have entered the lake at night. The woman was walking her dog around a Hilton Head. She stated her husband went down and grabbed a shovel and she called 911,the report said. One person has been killed in a fatal alligator attack in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A man was killed after he was attacked and dragged into a pond in South Carolina by an 11-foot alligator, officials said. A person in South Carolina was killed after being dragged into a retention pond by an alligator near Myrtle Beach on Friday, authorities said. Alligators are naturally afraid of humans, but will attack in certain instances. Covert never screamed during the deadly attack, the woman told police. When it gets really hot in the summer, a lot of time theyll spend time below the water, where its cooler.. In an interview on Sunday, Mr. Repak said it was common to watch alligators walk on a road over a pair of retention ponds. Officials identified the woman as Nancy A. Becker, a resident of Sun City Hilton Head, who they believe was gardening near the pond and slipped into the water, where she was attacked by the alligator. 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.. As of August, there were 23 total alligator attacks since 1915, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. 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. The authorities did not release the victims name, age or other circumstances about the attack. Mazzotti says he believes a major factor in Clines death was her dog, which alligators perceive as food. And you know, she's been alone. A South Carolina woman was attacked by an eight-foot-long alligator while walking her dog on Thursday morning. The victim was recovered from the pond, and the alligator was removed and euthanized on site. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Gator attack:A Florida man thought a 7-foot alligator was dog on long leash. This was the first fatal attack in the state by an alligator since May 2020. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. As friends tried to yank her from the alligators grasp, she calmly said, I guess I wont do this again, moments before the alligator rolled and pulled her under the water, the newspaper reported. Alligator attacks, like one after which a woman was found dead near Hilton Head Island, S.C., are rare but not surprising, said Maj. Angela Viens of the Beaufort County sheriffs office. Police said the victim, whose identity has not been released yet, was recovered from the pond and the alligator was removed. The dog survived the attack, per the FWC. Developer Charles Fraser founded both the Sea Pines and Kiawah Island resort communities, which were built on the concept that communities could be developed while the wildlife preserved. Messages left for the department were not immediately returned on Sunday. 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. After repeatedly saying there was still no sight of the woman in the water, the neighbor then saw her body resurface. 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. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. Before that, Bonnie Walker, 90, wandered off her senior living center and was killed in an attack in Charleston, South Carolina in 2016. Just off of Cape Point this 1,500 shark was spotted on February 28th. The giant reptile was captured and euthanized on site. While alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, they are becoming more common as more humans move to alligator-populated areas. She survived the incident. Jurors on Wednesday visited the South Carolina estate where prosecutors say disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife and son, touring the crime scene before . Alligators are naturally afraid of humans, but will attack in certain instances. A baby alligator was spotted running on the loose outside of a South Carolina Starbucks recently. Hilton Head Island residents share the roads with 2,000 - 4,000 alligators - who use an "alligator crossing" to cross busy roads. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. An autopsy Monday found Covert died of drowning, the Charleston County Coroners Office said. Weeks earlier, Florida police found a deceased 47-year-old man in agator-infested lakemissing three limbs after a likely encounter with alligators. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alligator attack that left one person dead in Sun City. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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