Sun City Hilton Head, a residential community for older adults that has many ponds, is about 15 miles west of Hilton Head Island and covers roughly nine square miles. CNN A person was killed by an alligator near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, according to police. Deadly alligator attacks on humans are rare. The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. 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. He said the reports come amid an increase in building development and in the number of people moving into areas previously occupied by alligators. A baby alligator was spotted running on the loose outside of a South Carolina Starbucks recently. "And then her husband, he was in charge with bocce years ago, and he passed away. Because theyre cold blooded animals, they regulate their body temperature as best they can based on the environment, he said. 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. There are an estimated 100,000 alligators in South Carolina alone. An 88-year-old woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, officials said. This is at least the third fatal alligator attack in South Carolina in the past four years. When we got there thats exactly what we found, said Maj. Angela Viens, a public information officer with the Beaufort County sheriffs office. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? Hilton Head Island residents share the roads with 2,000 - 4,000 alligators - who use an "alligator crossing" to cross busy roads. The fatal alligator attack in South Carolina on Friday was the first in the state since May 2020. Four Fatal Gator Attacks in 76 Days Is a Statistical Anomaly. This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Now and then, he will see photos in the local news media of an alligator out and about, he said. Responders found the gator "guarding" Becker, officials said. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Also make yourself appear as big as possible, the bigger you appear, the less likely the gator is to engage.. A South Carolina woman was attacked by an eight-foot-long alligator while walking her dog on Thursday morning. Rattlesnakes:What to know if you're bitten by a rattlesnake, Bears:What should you do if you see a bear? Mazzotti says people need to be aware of their surrounding when they are near water or in areas where they have been alligator sightings. Deputies with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office were notified around 11:15 a.m. about an alligator that looked as if it was "standing guard" beside a . A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal, according to the police report released Monday. Covert never screamed during the deadly attack, the woman told police. Alligator attacks are rare, and there's an even slimmer chance of being killed by one. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. But fatal gator attacks are rare. While he was unaware of the details of Mondays alligator attack, Mr. Butfiloski said that such attacks typically happen when a person is near the edge of a body of water, and occur more frequently when a person is accompanied by a pet. Alligators tend to be more active at night, Mr. Butfiloski said, and come out around dusk. In July, an elderly woman waskilled by two alligatorsin a pond near her Florida home. Mazzoti added alligators "don't perceive humans as either a threat or as food.". The police believe that Mr. McGuinness, 47, had entered the lake in John S. Taylor Park at night. by Mandy Matney May 4, 2020. Before those attacks, South Carolina had never recorded a person killed by an alligator. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, As of August, there were 23 total alligator attacks since 1915, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. May 5, 2020 / 6:24 AM / CBS/AP. The black Labrador retriever mix was standing up to his. Market data provided by Factset. She stated her husband tried hitting the alligator as the alligator kept dragging her friend back into the water.. Coverts friend yelled to not get any closer, but Covert continued off the back steps towards to where the alligator was, the report said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) officials urge residents and tourists to never feed alligators as it makes them more aggressive toward humans. Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. During the call, the neighbor also went to go get the dog. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. 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. Fatal alligator attacks are rare in the United States. 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. Firefighters used poles to get Covert out of the pond but she died at the hospital, authorities said. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital Magazines, Digital Theyre not going to chase you down the fairway in these golfing communities., Alligator Kills 88-Year-Old Woman in South Carolina, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/15/us/alligator-attack-south-carolina.html. June 25, 2022 / 2:26 PM / CBS News. Jay Butfiloski, the furbearer and alligator program coordinator with the states Natural Resources Department, said that it had seen an increased frequency over the past couple years in alligator attacks but its still a pretty rare event.. Last summer, a 68-year-old woman was hospitalized after an alligator attack in Sun City-Hilton Head, the Island Packet repotted. The giant reptile was captured and euthanized on site. This same shark off the coast of the Outer Banks began its tracking in . Gator attack:A Florida man thought a 7-foot alligator was dog on long leash. Charleston County deputies said that officers were called to a . Before Fridays deadly attack, the most recent incident was a 44-year-old teacher in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina who was killed by an alligator while walking her dog near a lagoon in the gated community of Sea Pines. . You can induce a gator's gag reflex by jamming objects in the back of its mouth, and when it tries to reposition prey in its mouth, that's your chance to escape. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. The 10-foot alligator, estimated at 400-500 pounds, then attacked Covert, who officials said was 5 feet tall and 100 pounds. Early in the year, when water is cooler, its common to see them on the banks sunning themselves. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. A deputy shot and killed an alligator closest to the womans body upon arrival to the scene. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? "Splashing in the water will attract analligators interest, and if it perceives at that point in time that there's something smaller and weaker in the water, it might attack it," Mazzoti said. An alligator lays in the grass in Myrtle Beach, S.C., April 29, 2003. 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. When deputies arrived, the alligator kept surfacing with Covert and going under. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. A-Z Animals reports that a 1,500-pound great white shark is off the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. One person has been killed in a fatal alligator attack in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. This attack is the fourth reported in Charleston County history, according to SCDNR records. It was at least the fourth deadly alligator attack in the United States so far this year. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "It's too late," the neighbor said. Alligator attacks in South Carolina have increased, likely because of human activities. 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 . The officers were called to a pond on Kiawah Island around 5 p.m. and saw. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The HCPD said its death investigation remains underway. Alligator attacks are rare but not surprising, Major Viens said of the area. Updated on: August 15, 2022 / 7:34 PM 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. The last fatal alligator attack to occur in South Carolina was in May 2020, when a 58-year-old woman saw an alligator and went to touch it, despite her friend's warnings, according to The Post and Courier. Of those bites, 26 were fatal, meaning there was one fatal injury nearly every three years in the state. While alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, they are becoming more common as more humans move to alligator-populated areas. The creature is most abundant in Louisiana and Florida, with each state having a population of over 1 million alligators. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near a pond in Sun City . Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. When officers arrived, they found a large alligator by the edge of a pond near the body of an unidentified woman, police said. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 1 Dead in Fatal Alligator Attack at South Carolina Retention Pond Near Myrtle Beach. Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com. The body of a man who had been retrieving Frisbees from a lake in Largo, Fla., which serves as a habitat for alligators, was found on May 31. The first one was not fatal, she added. Experts explain why. 14 of those attacks occurred in Beaufort County according to SCDNR records. 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. A person walking their dog discovered his body along the shoreline the next morning, the police said. Long Waits, Short Appointments, Huge Bills. The alligator, a 9-foot, 8-inch male, was later captured, removed from the pond and euthanized, officials said. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. 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. Covert, of Johns Island, made no sound as the alligator pulled her under, the woman told police. The situation . "If you should be attacked, fight like your life depends on it because it does," Mazzoti said. A woman who was attacked by an alligator Thursday on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina was rescued by a neighbor who hit the animal with a shovel, authorities said. The deadly attack, in a gated community near Hilton Head Island, S.C., was at least the fourth in the country this year. 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