Tragic Ending To An Alligator Attack

In May 2017 I presented two posts of attacks by 1) an alligator on a young girl who knew how to fend the beast off, & 2) a sea lion on a young girl who was saved by an heroic individual who dove into the water to help.  Both accounts resulted in a scare but a happy ending – see reference posts below.

 

This post presents the tragic ending of a woman's life in August in a residential community in the Sea Pines section of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  The woman was walking her small dog very close to a pond.  The alligator was lying close to shore & grabbed the dog's leash & wound up pulling both the dog & woman into the pond killing the woman & leaving the dog unhurt.

 

For those who live or vacation in the southeast you know that alligators are large carnivorous animals & should be respected as such – not treated as an amusement to be trifled with.  Alligator attacks are very rare & the reptiles are usually afraid of people so in the above tragedy the attraction was most likely the dog seen as an easy target & meal.

 

A few simple safety rules:

 

1.  Do not feed alligators or ducks, turtles, fish, or any other animal inhabiting water where alligators are known inhabitants.  This food source attracts alligators, trains them to associate humans with food, & makes them more likely to approach you.

 

2.  Almost any body of water in the southeast is an alligator-friendly habitat so be mindful of your environment.  I have seen people walking dogs near ponds totally focused on their cell phones or video games – not good with alligators around.

 

3.  If you encounter an alligator, walk backwards & back away from it.  A safe distance is about 60 feet.  If an alligator hisses or lunges @ you, you are too close which I have been on occasion.

 

4.  Keep pets & children away from alligators – large alligators will recognize them as food sources & act on their natural hunting instinct.  Do not allow pets or children to swim or play @ the edge of waters inhabited by alligators.  To an alligator, any splash potentially means a food source is in the water.

 

Reference posts: 

 

Wildlife Safety - Alligator Attacks

 

Wildlife Safety Addendum - Sea Lion Attack