A sad story emerged over the weekend that an elderly woman fell into a local pond in her neighborhood, struggled to escape the water, and was found dead nearby two large alligators, nearly eight and nine feet in length.
While Floridians know – or should know – to be on alert near any body of water, this particular case saw the victim walking around a golf course in her neighborhood. Golf courses are not immune to becoming habitats for all sorts of aquatic wildlife. One wonders how many times in her life she made the same walk, uneventful each day until it wasn’t.
Yahoo! News reported the following:
“The incident occurred at a pond at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club in Englewood, south of Sarasota, Sarasota sheriff’s officials said. The woman, who was not identified and whose age was not released, was observed falling into a pond along the golf course near her home and struggling to stay afloat, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
“While in the water, two alligators were observed near the victim and ultimately grabbed her while in the water,” a news release said.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to capture and remove the alligators from the pond, officials said. No cause of death had been determined.”
The story immediately reminded those who heard it about the tragic death of a two-year-old boy at a Disney hotel in 2016. In that case, the toddler was playing along the shoreline of their resort when an alligator snatched him from the water and dragged him back under. The boy’s father attempted to pry his son loose from the creature’s jaws, but was unable to rescue him. The boy ultimately drowned during the attack.
Despite these major news stories that cause us to recoil at the sheer pain and terror suffered by the victims, Yahoo! Went on to note that such extreme deaths were quite rare.
“Fatal alligator attacks are rare in Florida, despite the creatures being found throughout the state. The FWC says there are an average of eight unprovoked attacks by alligators a year that require medical treatment. From 1948 to 2021, there have been 442 unprovoked alligator bite incidents in the state, 26 of them resulting in death.
In June, a man looking for Frisbees in the water along a lakeshore in Largo, Florida, was found dead in a suspected alligator attack.”
Hailey Sanibel fiercely loves freedom. She equally detests evil and stupidity, both of which are out of control in the modern world. She is a regular contributor at The Blue State Conservative.
Featured image: Cliff N, PDM-owner, via Wikimedia Commons
This story syndicated with permission from The Blue State Conservative