A Florida woman was killed after she and her husband inadvertently paddled over an alligator while out canoeing, which tipped them both into the water before the fatal attack.
Officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said that the incident happened on Tuesday afternoon near the mouth of Tiger Creek at Lake Kissimmee.
The couple’s canoe had passed over the creature, which “thrashed,” tipping them into the water, FWC major Evan Laskowski told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.
The 61-year-old woman had landed on top of the animal and was bitten, he said, adding that her husband had tried to intervene, but was unsuccessful.
In radio transmissions from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, obtained by WKMG, an official is heard to say, “The gator grabbed her out of the canoe. [Her husband] tried to fight the gator off.
“We’re at the last place he saw her. He left the paddle here, where he last saw her,” they added.
The woman’s body was later spotted by a sheriff’s office helicopter, and members of the FWC recovered her from the water.
Later that night, a contracted nuisance alligator trapper captured an 11”4 inch alligator, which matched the description involved in the incident.
On Wednesday, a second alligator measuring between 10 and 11 feet long, was also captured.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether either of the alligators were responsible for the attack.
"Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this tragedy,” FWC executive director Roger Young said at Wednesday’s press conference.
“While alligator attacks that result in fatalities are extremely rare, this serves as a somber reminder of the powerful wildlife that share our public spaces.”
Second time in two months that an alligator has attacked a civilian. WKMG reports that in March a woman was bitten on the arm at the same creek.
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