. An autopsy Monday found Covert died of drowning, the Charleston County Coroner's Office said. Hilton Head Island residents share the roads with 2,000 - 4,000 alligators - who use an "alligator crossing" to cross busy roads. 8/16/2022. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. Weeks earlier, Florida police found a deceased 47-year-old man in agator-infested lakemissing three limbs after a likely encounter with alligators. She stated her husband went down and grabbed a shovel and she called 911,the report said. Alligators are mostly concentrated in Florida and Louisiana but are present in several other states. Florida, which has the most human-alligator interactions, has recorded 24 deadly alligator attacks since 1948 but 14 of those have occurred in the last 20 years, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data. 1:39 A person in South Carolina was killed by an alligator Friday near a community retention pond outside Myrtle Beach, authorities said. The following day, a person walking their dog discovered McGuiness' body along the lake's shoreline. The woman Covert was staying with said she didnt seem herself Friday and walked toward the alligator, which lunged and grabbed her in its mouth when she was about 4 feet away, deputies said. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. A person died after an alligator dragged them into a pond in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, police said Friday. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. ABC 15 By Vimal Patel June 26, 2022 A man was killed on Friday after being dragged into a. The death on Friday was the first from an alligator attack in South Carolina since May 2020, when 58-year-old Cynthia Covert was dragged into a pond behind her friends home on Kiawah Island, near Charleston, according to The Post and Courier. CLICK HERE. While mating season brings an increase in their movement around May and June, alligator movement this time of year tends to be among waterways. Sun City Hilton Head, a residential community for older adults that has many ponds, is about 15 miles west of Hilton Head Island and covers roughly nine square miles. While he was unaware of the details of Mondays alligator attack, Mr. Butfiloski said that such attacks typically happen when a person is near the edge of a body of water, and occur more frequently when a person is accompanied by a pet. According to a 2019 University of Florida analysis, venomous injuries largely from contact with hornets, wasps and bees resulted in an average of more than 56 fatalities per year in the United States, compared with about one per year from alligator attacks. This is at least the third fatal alligator attack in South Carolina in the past four years. Alligator attacks are rare but not surprising, Major Viens said of the area. 1 Dead in Fatal Alligator Attack at South Carolina Retention Pond Near Myrtle Beach. Sure, the baby alligator is certainly not a common sight at the popular coffee shop. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. There could be more that we arent aware of, SCDNR alligator program director, Jay Butfiloski previously said,. The unidentified woman. A-Z Animals reports that a 1,500-pound great white shark is off the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Fatal alligator attacks are rare in the United States, typically occurring about once a year, but the latest was the second in less than a month. 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. ", "She played cards," Sandy Sauers, a friend, told WPBF. Of those bites, 26 were fatal, meaning there was one fatal injury nearly every three years in the state. Last summer, a 68-year-old woman was hospitalized after an alligator attack in Sun City-Hilton Head, the Island Packet repotted. "I can't see her.". Jay Butfiloski, the furbearer and alligator program coordinator with the states Natural Resources Department, said that it had seen an increased frequency over the past couple years in alligator attacks but its still a pretty rare event.. The deadly attack, in a gated community near Hilton Head Island, S.C., was at least the fourth in the country this year. 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 man has died after an alligator attack in Myrtle Beach, S.C., June 24, 2022. Photo: Getty. The last fatal alligator attack to occur in South Carolina was in May 2020, when a 58-year-old woman saw an alligator and went to touch it, despite her friend's warnings, according to The Post and Courier. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, a statement from the Horry County Police Department. "She fell down and [it] took her.". ". My prayers and heart go out to the family as my arms wrap tighter around my kids and dogs near these ponds.. We have an open microphone policy here at FITSNews! Mazzoti added alligators "don't perceive humans as either a threat or as food.". "Anytime you show up next to water, you're assuming some risk Don't tempt it.". Universal Images Group via Getty Images, FILE. Why Deadly Alligator Attacks Like South Carolina Are a Growing Trend. Responders found the gator "guarding" Becker, officials said. A woman was killed in an alligator attack Monday in South Carolina,officials confirmed,in what has become an unusual year for alligator attacks. When nuisance trappers go into an area with gators theyll often play a recording of a dog barking and the gators will come and investigate.. Prior to that attack, an unidentified victim died after analligatordragged them into a pond in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Legal Statement. The 10-foot alligator, estimated at 400-500 pounds, then attacked Covert, who officials said was 5 feet tall and 100 pounds. A woman was killed in. However, the study at the time cited the need for a "uniform reporting system among states" to get more complete information on alligator encounters. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman on Friday, authorities said. The dog survived the attack, per the FWC. Jason Repak, who lives in the same community as the victim, snapped a photo of three alligators behind his condominium last month and posted it on social media. KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) Authorities say deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman. By Christian Boschult christian.boschult@myhorrynews.com Jul 15, 2022 0 Alligators like this one. You can induce a gator's gag reflex by jamming objects in the back of its mouth, and when it tries to reposition prey in its mouth, that's your chance to escape. Covert never screamed during the deadly attack, the woman told police. Before Fridays deadly attack, the most recent incident was a 44-year-old teacher in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina who was killed by an alligator while walking her dog near a lagoon in the gated community of Sea Pines. The alligator, a 9-foot, 8-inch male, was later captured, removed from the pond and euthanized, officials said. An alligator lays in the grass in Myrtle Beach, S.C., April 29, 2003. Nancy Becker, 88, was gardening at her living community when she slipped and fell into a lagoon that was home to an alligator. But fatal gator attacks are rare. The pond in which the body was found is surrounded by houses on all sides, said Major Viens, noting that it was the second alligator attack in the gated community in five years. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The attack occurred near a lagoon on Hilton Head Island on the state's. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Newly acquired data from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources suggests there has been an increase in the number of alligator encounters in the Palmetto State . In July, an elderly woman waskilled by two alligatorsin a pond near her Florida home. First published on August 15, 2022 / 7:30 PM. Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Intel review says "very unlikely" foreign adversary behind "Havana Syndrome", Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Please enter valid email address to continue. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. The fatal alligator attack in South Carolina on Friday was the first in the state since May 2020. A deputy had to shoot and kill the alligator to get Covert away from the animal, according to the police report released Monday. An estimated 5 million wild American alligators live across 10 states in Southeast and beyond - even in the southeastern tip of Oklahoma. Alligators only attack when threatened or cornered, but if a human is in water with alligators, it may entice them. The HCPD and the Horry County Coroner's Office did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. The woman was walking her dog around a Hilton Head. However, when she returned, the woman had been pulled into the water. When it gets really hot in the summer, a lot of time theyll spend time below the water, where its cooler.. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Alligators are naturally afraid of humans, but will attack in certain instances. They aren't the only run-ins people have had with the creatures. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. Follow Jordan Mendoza on Twitter:@jordan_mendoza5. "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. First responders were then able to pull the womans body from the water. Once officers arrived on the scene, officials determined that "an alligator had taken hold of a neighbor and retreated into a nearby retention pond," a statement from the Horry County Police Department said. However, it certainly gets a lot of attention while it's hanging out near the entrance of the South Carolina business. A woman was killed in an apparent alligator attack in South Carolina on Monday, police said. On Aug. 11, Bruce Savage took his dog, Hanna, for a morning walk near. An investigation into the death is continuing, the police said. Alligator attacks are rare, fatal ones even rarer. A Florida man was killed by an alligator while retrieving frisbees from a lake in Largo on May 31. FLORIDA WOMAN ATTACKED BY ALLIGATORS AT COUNTRY CLUB IDENTIFIED. The 25 Defining Works of the Black Renaissance. It was no walk in the park for a South Carolina man who saved his dog from an alligator attack during a morning stroll. T he death of Cassandra Cline, a 45-year-old . You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. As friends tried to yank her from the alligators grasp, she calmly said, I guess I wont do this again, moments before the alligator rolled and pulled her under the water, the newspaper reported. Magazines, Digital Then, the gator bit his leg. Police said the victim, whose identity has not been released yet, was recovered from the pond and the alligator was removed. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital A person in South Carolina was killed after being dragged into a retention pond by an alligator near Myrtle Beach on Friday, authorities said. The body of an 88-year-old woman was found near a pond in a gated community near Hilton Head, South Carolina, after what authorities suspect was an alligator attack. The Horry County Fire Rescue Department told ABC News it had no further information as of Monday morning. A deputy shot and killed an alligator closest to the womans body upon arrival to the scene. A good comparison would be that a dog is like what a bowl of pasta or chicken is to a human, when an alligator sees a dog they see their next meal, he says. ', Man Fatally Shot Ex-Girlfriend's Sister After Convincing Her to Pull Over on Road, Then Killed Himself, remembered by loved ones as being a "good friend. It was the fourthdeath from alligator attacks this year after a man was killed looking for Frisbees on May 31 in Florida,another manwas killed near a retention pond in South Carolina on June 24and an 80-year-old Florida woman was killed along a golf course. The woman's husband and another man tried beating the alligator with shovels, but the animal swam deeper, the police report said. He said the reports come amid an increase in building development and in the number of people moving into areas previously occupied by alligators. Alligator Attacks and Kills Florida Woman, 85, Who Was Walking Her Dog. Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Intel review says "very unlikely" foreign adversary behind "Havana Syndrome", Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. 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. 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. Cynthia Covert, 58, died in the attack Friday afternoon on Kiawah Island, Charleston County deputies said. 1894 shipwreck found in Lake Huron, confirming "powerful, tragic story", Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, Woman killed in South Carolina gator attack, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect. Charleston County deputies said that officers were called to a . South Carolina has been home to over 100,000 alligators. After the attack, the FWC said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that the alligator was captured and killed by a contracted nuisance alligator trapper. 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. CNN A person was killed by an alligator near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, according to police. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? Developer Charles Fraser founded both the Sea Pines and Kiawah Island resort communities, which were built on the concept that communities could be developed while the wildlife preserved. This attack is the fourth reported in Charleston County history, according to SCDNR records. In 1962, Fraser walked alongside an alligator named Albert for a magazine photoshoot that attracted attention from around the world. The victim was identified as 88-year-old Nancy Becker, ABC News reports. While alligator attacks are rare in South Carolina, they are becoming more common. Legal Statement. Or an issue youd like to address proactively? Despite what seems to be increasing frequency, Mazzotti says attacks are still remarkably rare, considering the number of alligators in southeastern U.S. is great grains banana nut crunch vegan, A division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC Packet repotted a friend, told WPBF alligator... Risk do n't tempt it. `` a common sight at the popular coffee.... 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