On a canoe trip in Florida, a woman and her husband accidentally pushed over an alligator, which tipped them both over and into the water, where they were killed.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the event took place on Tuesday afternoon near the start of Tiger Creek at Lake Kissimmee.
At a press meeting on Wednesday, FWC major Evan Laskowski told the reporters that the couple’s canoe had gone over the animal, which “thrashed” and tipped them over into the water.
He said that the 61-year-old woman had fallen on top of the animal and been bitten. He also said that her husband had tried to help but failed.
Radio calls from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office that WKMG got hold of show a constable saying, “The gator grabbed her out of the canoe.” The gator tried to get away from her husband.
“We’re where he last saw her.” “He left the paddle here, where he last saw her,” they said.
Later, a plane from the sheriff’s office saw the woman’s body and FWC members pulled her from the water.
Later that night, a hired nuisance alligator trapper caught an 11-inch alligator that fit the description of the one that was involved in the incident.
A second alligator, about 10 to 11 feet long, was caught on Wednesday as well.
The police haven’t said for sure which of the two alligators was guilty for the attack yet.
At the news conference on Wednesday, FWC executive director Roger Young said, “Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.”
“Alligator attacks that kill people are very rare, but this is a sad reminder of the strong animals that live in our parks and other public spaces.”
It’s the second time in two months that an alligator has bitten a person. WKMG says that the same creek was the site of a woman getting bitten on the arm in March.