In a gated neighbourhood, an elderly lady was murdered by an alligator after falling into a pond while gardening close to where the animal was hiding.
88-year-old Nancy Becker’s corpse was discovered yesterday at 11:15 a.m. in Sun City Hilton Head, a guarded senior community city north of Savannah in South Carolina, next to an alligator that seemed to be “standing watch.”
The incident marks the second alligator attack to result in a confirmed fatality in South Carolina this year and the fourth overall in the country.
According to a press statement from the sheriff’s office, Becker’s corpse was found by emergency personnel about 1pm.
According to the authorities, the Sun City homeowner fell into the water on Monday morning while doing some gardening next to the pond.
She was unable to flee in time to avoid being stung by the alligator.
At 3 p.m., according to Major Angela Viens of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, alligator capture attempts were still being made by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
The 9-foot-8-inch male alligator was finally caught from the pond on Monday afternoon and killed, according to the authorities.
Over 16,000 elderly, active citizens live in the expansive neighbourhood of Sun City Hilton Head. According to Viens, there are more than 200 ponds and lagoons in the neighbourhood.
On June 24, an alligator on a pond just up the coast from Myrtle Beach murdered another citizen of South Carolina.
This year, Florida has seen two additional alligator fatalities. On May 31, a 47-year-old guy was seen looking for a frisbee, and on July 15, an 80-year-old lady fell into a pond next to a golf course.
The corpse of Sean Thomas McGuinness, 47, was discovered near the lake at John S Taylor Park in Largo, Florida, minus three limbs.
Investigators now think that when he was assaulted, he had entered the 53-acre freshwater lake in search of UFOs.
The predators were drawn to the old lady, Rose Marie Wiegand, by her frantic splashing.
According to investigators, two alligators were seen swimming near Wiegand as she was trying to remain afloat at Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood.
Then, before she could flee, they seized her.
Alligator assaults are very uncommon, despite these rumours, according to Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
They assert that a victim’s chances of being attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park are higher than their chances of being attacked by an alligator in Florida.
However, they assert that “an alligator may be located everywhere there is standing water.”
Although the average length is 11 feet, 2 inches, the biggest alligator ever taken in Louisiana was 19 feet, 2 inches long back in 1890. They can run at rates of 15 mph, which is far quicker than a human.
Alligators may be found all along the southern coast of the United States and portions of its eastern shoreline, although they are most common in Louisiana and Florida.
Additionally, they reside in a few marshes in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
Alligator assaults occur most often in the spring and summer, when there is an upsurge in alligator activity since it is normally when they mate and search for new habitats.
Never swim at night, never feed alligators, keep kids and dogs away from the water’s edge, and always be aware of your surroundings if you are in an area where they may be found.
Over the last year, there have also been at least five incidents where survivors were reported.
For instance, Samuel Ray told WRAL on June 22 that an alligator bit him when they were playing catch near a pond.
He said, “It was maybe a foot from from the sea.” The gator’s eye was visible as soon as I leaned down to pick up the ball after placing my palm on it.
It sprang out so quickly that it resembled a lightning bolt.
Ray said that the alligator was able to snag hold of his hand, dislocating his shoulder in the process. He struck the alligator until it released him go and fled to safety because he knew he had to act.
After three operations, his hand is still intact despite the fact that he ultimately suffered from a disconnected nerve and significant blood loss.
And only a few days before, according to WCSC, a South Carolina man attempted to save his dog from an alligator attack while also suffering non-life-threatening injuries himself.
The dog also made it through the event and was in good health.
Alligators are thought to number 1.3 million in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, yet just eight unprovoked alligator attacks are reported there year on average, according to the Miami Herald.