south carolina alligator attack

Please enter valid email address to continue. 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. The victim has not been identified. A Florida man thought a 7-foot alligator was dog on long leash. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Over the course of the phone call, which lasted for over eight minutes, the neighbor said she had gone to get a pole to rescue the woman after the attack. Of those bites, 26 were fatal, meaning there was one fatal injury nearly every three years in the state. An 80-year-old woman was killed by two alligators in Englewood, Fla., in July; a man who had been retrieving Frisbees from a lake in Largo, Fla., was killed in May; and in June, a man was killed after being dragged into a retention pond by an alligator in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Officials said there had been 18 alligator-related episodes and five deaths reported in South Carolina since 2000. There could be more that we arent aware of, SCDNR alligator program director, Jay Butfiloski previously said,. When it gets really hot in the summer, a lot of time theyll spend time below the water, where its cooler.. Alligator attacks are rare, and there's an even slimmer chance of being killed by one. CLICK HERE. Prior to that attack, an unidentified victim died after analligatordragged them into a pond in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. CNN A person was killed by an alligator near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, according to police. The South Carolina woman rescued by her neighbor as she was being attacked by an alligator is the second woman to have been attacked in such a manner on Hilton Head Island in only three years . The last reported case of a fatal alligator attack in the U.S was in June. The latest was at least the fourth in the United States since May and the second this year in South Carolina. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. She stated her husband tried hitting the alligator as the alligator kept dragging her friend back into the water.. The death of Cassandra Cline, a 45-year-old elementary school teacher, who was killed by a 9-foot alligator while protecting her dog on Hilton Head Island Monday made headlines around the world. She was a good friend to a lot of people in the park.". KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) Authorities say deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? When officers arrived, they found a large alligator by the edge of a pond near the body of an unidentified woman, police said. / CBS News. Alligators are naturally afraid of humans, but will attack in certain instances. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Covert, of Johns Island, made no sound as the alligator pulled her under, the woman told police. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Associate Editor, Human Interest - PEOPLE. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near the pond and slipped in. ". 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. First published on August 15, 2022 / 7:30 PM. Alligator Fatally Attacks Man at the Edge of a South Carolina Pond, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/26/us/myrtle-beach-fatal-alligator-attack.html. 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 . Theyre a part of nature., He called Fridays death a tragic, freak accident.. The police believe that Mr. McGuinness, 47, had entered the lake in John S. Taylor Park at night. 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 . or redistributed. Florida had an. Covert, of Johns Island, made no sound as the alligator pulled her under, the woman told police. 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 Sheriffs Office responded to a 911 call at 11:15 a.m. on Monday from a Sun City Hilton Head resident who reported that a large alligator was guarding a human body. On Monday morning police responded to a report of an alligator attack at a pond inside the. The Horry County Fire Rescue Department told ABC News it had no further information as of Monday morning. As of August, there were 23 total alligator attacks since 1915, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Covert never screamed during the deadly attack, the woman told police. Alligators tend to be more active at night, Mr. Butfiloski said, and come out around dusk. A South Carolina woman was attacked by an eight-foot-long alligator while walking her dog on Thursday morning. This was the first fatal attack in the state by an alligator since May 2020. The deadly attack, in a gated community near Hilton Head Island, S.C., was at least the fourth in the country this year. The fatal alligator attack in South Carolina on Friday was the first in the state since May 2020. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says licensed hunters remove over 1,000 nuisance alligators which are any ones deemeda "threat to pets, livestock or humans" a year, and attack reports in the state are usually just encounters. The following day, a person walking their dog discovered McGuiness' body along the lake's shoreline. Before those attacks, South Carolina had never recorded a person killed by an alligator. In Fridays killing, the authorities responded around 11:45 a.m. to a water-rescue call, the Horry County Police Department said in a statement. A man was killed after he was attacked and dragged into a pond in South Carolina by an 11-foot alligator, officials said. Stephen Benjamin, the former mayor of Columbia, S.C., will be the new senior adviser and director of the Office of Public Engagement, replacing Keisha Lance Bottoms, the White House announced on Monday. A deputy shot and killed an alligator closest to the womans body upon arrival to the scene. The victim in the May attack in Florida was identified as Sean Thomas McGuinness. Cline was walking her dog alongside a lagoon adjacent to the Sea Pines Resort golf course when she was attacked about 9:30 a.m. Sea Pine, a 5,200-square-foot gated community, was built in 1957 and is located at the southern tip of Hilton Head Island. The first one was not fatal, she added. "I see her," the neighbor said with audible emotion in her voice. It appears she was gardening near a pond in an adult-only . Shizuka Matsuki, 47, was last seen walking her two dogs in South Florida before her body was found miles away in a lake in Davie, Florida. The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. A man has died after an alligator attack in Myrtle Beach, S.C., June 24, 2022. A giant alligator weighing nearly 1,000 pounds was caught in Lake Marion. Before that, Bonnie Walker, 90, wandered off her senior living center and was killed in an attack in Charleston, South Carolina in 2016. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. ABC 15 By Vimal Patel June 26, 2022 A man was killed on Friday after being dragged into a. This same shark off the coast of the Outer Banks began its tracking in . ABC News' Darren Reynolds contributed to this report. A man was killed on Friday after being dragged into a retention pond by an alligator near Myrtle Beach, S.C., the first such deadly attack in the state since 2020, the authorities said. Also make yourself appear as big as possible, the bigger you appear, the less likely the gator is to engage.. Market data provided by Factset. Fatal alligator attacks are rare in the United States, typically occurring about once a year, but the latest was the second in less than a month. However, at 5:46 p.m., the HCPD released a statement that the Environmental Services and Criminal Investigations Divisions were working on a death investigation. "He's so frightened," she told the operator. During the call, the neighbor also went to go get the dog. Alligators are active during spring and summer because when temperatures rise, their metabolism increases and they look for food, Melody Kilborn, a spokesperson for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told ABC News last month. Treat your dog like you would treat your child.. A good comparison would be that a dog is like what a bowl of pasta or chicken is to a human, when an alligator sees a dog they see their next meal, he says. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. A woman was killed in. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. The woman Covert was staying with said she didn't seem herself Friday and walked toward the alligator, which lunged and grabbed her in its mouth when she was about 4 feet away, deputies said. She kept yelling as Covert crept closer to the gator. 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. People building homes where alligators live have caused the increase in attacks, Mazzotti, a wildlife expert with the University of Floridas Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, tells TIME. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal, according to the police report released Monday. A baby alligator was spotted running on the loose outside of a South Carolina Starbucks recently. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. An autopsy Monday found Covert died of drowning, the Charleston County Coroner's Office said. The animal latched onto Covert's left leg and began pulling her into. The womans husband and another man tried beating the alligator with shovels, but the animal swam deeper, the police report said. 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. ", RELATED VIDEO: Officials Say Shark Attacked Woman Who Vanished While Snorkeling with Husband, Blast 'Conspiracy Theories'. 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. At 2:30 p.m., the department updated its statement to confirm there was no further threat in the area, and that community members may resume normal activities. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. One officer was able to shoot the animal as it surfaced again, police said. South Carolina has been home to over 100,000 alligators. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Authorities say the woman "died as a result of the incident" and that her body was recovered, according to a statement previously obtained by PEOPLE from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 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.". 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 . You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. A woman killed by an alligator at a South Carolina pond told a friend she wanted to get close to the animal and didnt scream as it attacked her and dragged her into the water, according to a police report. Nancy Becker, 88, was gardening at her living community when she slipped and fell into a lagoon that was home to an alligator. "Our hearts go out to the family and community members impacted by this tragic incident," a statement from police said. Hilton Head Island residents share the roads with 2,000 - 4,000 alligators - who use an "alligator crossing" to cross busy roads. 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. When deputies arrived, the alligator kept surfacing with Covert and going under. 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. Then, the gator bit his leg. ', Man Fatally Shot Ex-Girlfriend's Sister After Convincing Her to Pull Over on Road, Then Killed Himself, remembered by loved ones as being a "good friend. 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. It was no walk in the park for a South Carolina man who saved his dog from an alligator attack during a morning stroll. 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. "She was walking her little dog, and the gator grabbed the dog," the neighbor added. Sure, the baby alligator is certainly not a common sight at the popular coffee shop. Florida is known to be the home of alligators, and residents have numerous run-ins with the reptiles near their homes, golf courses or roads. There are an estimated 100,000 alligators in South Carolina alone. According to the report, Covert's friend yelled at her not to get closer, but she continued off the back steps towards where the alligator was located, CBS affiliate WCSC reported. This attack is the fourth reported in Charleston County history, according to SCDNR records. Leanne Golino. An officer observed the alligator and the victim surface in the water, the report said. Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Intel review says "very unlikely" foreign adversary behind "Havana Syndrome", Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near a pond in Sun City . The HCPD said its death investigation remains underway. "Anywhere there is standing water, an alligator might be found," The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a statement to USA TODAY. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. 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. 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. All rights reserved. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. The good news for humans: Alligators have a natural fear of humans and usually will retreat when approached, Texas Parks and Wildlife says. I couldnt have imagined that it was likely one of these alligators that would later kill a man, he wrote on Friday. Market data provided by Factset. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Police were notified around 11 . Weve always looked at the alligators as a part of the community, he said. It was at. Just off of Cape Point this 1,500 shark was spotted on February 28th. 14 of those attacks occurred in Beaufort County according to SCDNR records. Charleston County deputies said that officers were called to a . 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. Still, attacks, especially fatal ones, are rare. When we got there thats exactly what we found, said Maj. Angela Viens, a public information officer with the Beaufort County sheriffs office. First responders were then able to pull the womans body from the water. My prayers and heart go out to the family as my arms wrap tighter around my kids and dogs near these ponds.. In an interview on Sunday, Mr. Repak said it was common to watch alligators walk on a road over a pair of retention ponds. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office is investigating an alligator attack that left one person dead in Sun City. The attack occurred near a lagoon on Hilton Head Island on the state's. CLICK HERE. Alligator attacks are very rare, even in Louisiana and Florida. Alligator attacks are rare, and there's an even slimmer chance of being killed by one. You try to maintain distance from the banks, and when you see them out, you admire them from afar. Charleston County harvested at least 162 alligators between 2017- 2018, while Beaufort County harvested 104 in that time. "I can't see her.". Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) officials urge residents and tourists to never feed alligators as it makes them more aggressive toward humans. Kilborn urged people to follow these safety tips: alligators are most active at night, so only swim in designated swimming areas during daylight hours; never feed an alligator; and keep your pets on a leash and away from the water's edge. From our records, there wasnt an attack from 1915 to 1976, but that could just be because they werent newsworthy back then.. The pond in which the body was found is surrounded by houses on all sides, said Major Viens, noting that it was the second alligator attack in the gated community in five years. 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. The giant reptile was captured and euthanized on site. Because theyre cold blooded animals, they regulate their body temperature as best they can based on the environment, he said. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. The death on Friday was the first from an alligator attack in South Carolina since May 2020, when 58-year-old Cynthia Covert was dragged into a pond behind her friends home on Kiawah Island, near Charleston, according to The Post and Courier. The woman Covert was staying with said she didnt seem herself Friday and walked toward the alligator, which lunged and grabbed her in its mouth when she was about 4 feet away, deputies said. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? 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. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. He adds: Dont let your dog run free. However, alligators may be more inclined to approach humans if fed by one, which is why it's illegal to do so in many states. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Everybody treats them with a healthy respect. All rights reserved. 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. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital "Our prayers go out to the loved ones of the victim and the Spanish Lakes' residents who knew the victim and witnessed the attack," Sheriff Ken Mascara said in a statement shared on social media. While alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, they are becoming more common. His recommendation for anyone who does get attacked by an alligator: Fight like your life depends on it., Poke the gator in the eyes and try to ram your hand down its throat, he advises. Dead in Sun City alligator, officials said it had no further information as of August, wasnt... 15 by Vimal Patel June 26, 2022 officers were called to a lot of people in United! Attack, an unidentified victim died after analligatordragged them into a County Fire Department! 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