But, theres a caveat. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near the pond and slipped in. An alligator lays in the grass in Myrtle Beach, S.C., April 29, 2003. But dangerous human-gator interactions are starting to happen more frequently because people are moving deeper into alligators habitat, says University of Florida professor Frank Mazzotti. According to the report, Covert's friend yelled at her not to get closer, but she continued off the back steps towards where the alligator was located, CBS affiliate WCSC reported. 1:39 A person in South Carolina was killed by an alligator Friday near a community retention pond outside Myrtle Beach, authorities said. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) officials urge residents and tourists to never feed alligators as it makes them more aggressive toward humans. He adds: Dont let your dog run free. In an extremely rare event, a South Carolina woman was killed in an alligator attack Friday on Kiawah Island, according to the Charleston County Sheriffs Office. She stated her husband tried hitting the alligator as the alligator kept dragging her friend back into the water.. Covert, of Johns Island, made no sound as the alligator pulled her under, the woman told police. This marks the fifth alligator death in South Carolina since 2000, according to the Department of Natural Resources and the sheriff's office. Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog. 14 of those attacks occurred in Beaufort County according to SCDNR records. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Alligators are naturally afraid of humans, but will attack in certain instances. According to police, the victim, identified as Sean Thomas McGuinness, 47, was believed to have entered the lake at night. Before those attacks, South Carolina had never recorded a person killed by an alligator. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The death of Cassandra Cline, a 45-year-old elementary school teacher, who was killed by a 9-foot alligator while protecting her dog on Hilton Head Island Monday made headlines around the world. Serge was remembered by loved ones as being a "good friend. In 1962, Fraser walked alongside an alligator named Albert for a magazine photoshoot that attracted attention from around the world. When deputies arrived, the alligator kept surfacing with Covert and going under. A Florida man was killed by an alligator while retrieving frisbees from a lake in Largo on May 31. Just off of Cape Point this 1,500 shark was spotted on February 28th. Market data provided by Factset. People building homes where alligators live have caused the increase in attacks, Mazzotti, a wildlife expert with the University of Floridas Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, tells TIME. There are an estimated 100,000 alligators in South Carolina alone. I couldnt have imagined that it was likely one of these alligators that would later kill a man, he wrote on Friday. "She fell down and [it] took her.". This same shark off the coast of the Outer Banks began its tracking in . Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Experts from the University of Florida say to run in a straight line if an alligator is chasing you. Officials identified the woman as Nancy A. Becker, a resident of Sun City Hilton Head, who they believe was gardening near the pond and slipped into the water, where she was attacked by the alligator. Becker's autopsy will be conducted Tuesday, officials said. Still, attacks, especially fatal ones, are rare. In July, an elderly woman waskilled by two alligatorsin a pond near her Florida home. The woman was walking her dog around a Hilton Head. Its unlikely for them to leave the water to come after someone, 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. When officers arrived, they found a large alligator by the edge of a pond near the body of an unidentified woman, police said. Police were notified around 11 . The fatal alligator attack in South Carolina on Friday was the first in the state since May 2020. The Beaufort County Sheriffs Office responded to a 911 call at 11:15 a.m. on Monday from a Sun City Hilton Head resident who reported that a large alligator was guarding a human body. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says, you have a better chance of getting attacked by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park, Hot, hungry alligators are taking lonely strolls in Florida, meaning there could be an increase in alligator activity, Alligators have a natural fear of humans and usually will retreat when approached, Texas Parks and Wildlife says, Experts from the University of Florida say, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. 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. ABC 15 By Vimal Patel June 26, 2022 A man was killed on Friday after being dragged into a. There could be more that we arent aware of, SCDNR alligator program director, Jay Butfiloski previously said,. A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal, according to the police report released Monday. 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 . Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Deadly alligator attacks on humans are rare. Fatal alligator attacks are rare rare enough that they attract a lot of attention when they happen. The 10-foot alligator, estimated at 400-500 pounds, then attacked Covert, who officials said was 5 feet tall and 100 pounds. Experts explain why. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, a statement from the Horry County Police Department. Last week, an alligator attacked and ate a 40-pound dog that was playing fetch with his owner in Florida's J.R. Alford Greenway Trail. Such attacks are rare in the United States, typically occurring about once a year, but the latest one on Friday was the second in less than a month. A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal, according to the police report released Monday. May is mating season for alligators in South Carolina, which means alligators are more active this time of the year. Alligator Fatally Attacks Man at the Edge of a South Carolina Pond, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/26/us/myrtle-beach-fatal-alligator-attack.html. The fatal alligator attack in South Carolina on Friday was the first in the state since May 2020. Officials have released a 911 call made after an alligator fatally attacked an 85-year-old woman in Florida earlier this week. A woman killed by an alligator at a South Carolina pond told a friend she wanted to get close to the animal and didn't scream as it attacked her and dragged her into the water, according to a police report. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near a pond in Sun City Hilton Head, an adult-only community, and slipped in, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Natural Resources. She saw an alligator and was fascinated by it and went to touch it, against her friends warning. This is the first deadly alligator attack in the state since May 2020, according to authorities. Texas Parks and Wildlifesays a safe distance away from an alligator is at least 30 feet, and while extremely rare for them to chase humans, they can run up to 35 mph for a short period of time. The witness told police that her friend, later identified as 58-year-old Cynthia Covert, of Johns Island, was visiting her home Friday afternoon. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Got a tip for a story? The officers were called to a pond on Kiawah Island around 5 p.m. and saw. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! On the call, a neighbor who "just happened to look" outside when the attack occurred can be heard frantically telling the 911 operator "the alligator's got her" and to "please hurry," according to ABC affiliate WPBF. A woman killed by an alligator at a South Carolina pond told a friend she wanted to get close to the animal and didn't scream as it attacked her and dragged her . A South Carolina woman was rescued by a neighbor Thursday morning during a violent alligator attack in the state, authorities said. The woman found dead in an alligator attack in Sun City Hilton Head on Monday has been identified as an 88-year-old resident of the community, according to the Beaufort County Coroner's Office . This attack is the fourth reported in Charleston County history, according to SCDNR records. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. "If you should be attacked, fight like your life depends on it because it does," Mazzoti said. From our records, there wasnt an attack from 1915 to 1976, but that could just be because they werent newsworthy back then.. The area in the Outer Banks is a favorite hangout spot for great white sharks, apparently. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. All rights reserved. "She was walking her little dog, and the gator grabbed the dog," the neighbor added. When we got there thats exactly what we found, said Maj. Angela Viens, a public information officer with the Beaufort County sheriffs office. On Monday morning police responded to a report of an alligator attack at a pond inside the Sun City . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. It appears the victim, Nancy Becker, was gardening near a pond in Sun City Hilton Head, an adult-only community, and slipped in, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the Department of Natural Resources. A man was killed after he was attacked and dragged into a pond in South Carolina by an 11-foot alligator, officials said. Four Fatal Gator Attacks in 76 Days Is a Statistical Anomaly. Please enter valid email address to continue. Nancy Becker, 88, was gardening at her living community when she slipped and fell into a lagoon that was home to an alligator. The giant reptile was captured and euthanized on site. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. "He's so frightened," she told the operator. Coverts friend yelled to not get any closer, but Covert continued off the back steps towards to where the alligator was, the report said. While mating season brings an increase in their movement around May and June, alligator movement this time of year tends to be among waterways. The woman's body was recovered about two hours later, and as of 4 p.m. local time the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources remained on the scene attempting to locate and remove the alligator from the pond, police said. A person in South Carolina was killed after being dragged into a retention pond by an alligator near Myrtle Beach on Friday, authorities said. Alligators are mostly concentrated in Florida and Louisiana but are present in several other states. Deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman on Friday, authorities said. The police believe that Mr. McGuinness, 47, had entered the lake in John S. Taylor Park at night. The body of an 88-year-old woman who was killed by an alligator was discovered on Monday in a pond in a gated community near Hilton Head Island, S.C., officials said. Mazzotti says he believes a major factor in Clines death was her dog, which alligators perceive as food. The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. "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. The black Labrador retriever mix was standing up to his. CBS affiliate WCSC-TV reports that the coroner identified the victim as Cynthia . The Florida conservation commission said in November 2021 there were 442 unprovoked alligator bites in Florida from 1948 to 2021, averaging six a year. Photo: Getty. On Monday morning police responded to a report of an alligator attack at a pond inside the Sun City gated community, the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incident, the latest in a small string of fatal alligator attacks this summer. She was a good friend to a lot of people in the park.". Despite what seems to be increasing frequency, Mazzotti says attacks are still remarkably rare, considering the number of alligators in southeastern U.S. A biologist with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and an alligator-removal contractor determined that the animal needed to be humanely euthanized on site, the police said. The animal latched onto Covert's left leg and began pulling her into. An autopsy Monday found Covert died of drowning, the Charleston County Coroner's Office said. Firefighters used poles to get Covert out of the pond but she died at the hospital, authorities said. By Gina Martinez August 21, 2018 4:16 PM EDT. Stephen Benjamin, the former mayor of Columbia, S.C., will be the new senior adviser and director of the Office of Public Engagement, replacing Keisha Lance Bottoms, the White House announced on Monday. 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