An 85-year-old woman who took her dog for a walk was killed during an alligator attack near the senior center where she lived, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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The incident took place near the city of Fort Pierce, Fla., and the alligator involved was estimated at 11 feet in length and weighing between 600-700 lbs., per Fox 35 Orlando.
The woman was reportedly walking her dog near a body of water near Spanish Lakes Fairways community when the attack occurred.
Witnesses told Fox 35 that the alligator at first snatched the dog, prompting the woman to try to save it. She was pulled into the water by her foot and eventually died. The dog survived the attack, Fox 35 reported.
Florida Woman Tragically Killed by Alligator
Alligator trappers were dispatched to the scene to subdue to the reptile following the attack.
“It was definitely a fight,” trapper Robert Lilly told WPTV 5. “[We] snagged him on the bottom. He never surfaced. He stayed down the whole time. We were able to get a second hook in him and a hard line in him so we could get him up.”
Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida, the FWC said. It did not release any further details about the attack.