BRADENTON, Fla. — A woman out for a walk in a retirement community was rushed to the hospital after she was attacked by an alligator.
The 77-year-old woman was walking on a sidewalk in a gated community near a retention pond when she was attacked, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission told the Bradenton Herald.
A spokesperson told the newspaper that while they could not elaborate more on the attack, the woman’s injuries were to her left hand. Officials did not say how severe the injury was.
A witness who saw the attack kept the alligator in sight until a trapper arrived and captured the alligator, which measured 7 feet and 10 inches, USA Today reported.
The owner of a wildlife rescue organization told WWSB that the alligator had likely been fed by humans.
“The way to tell if an alligator has been fed by a person is if you’re walking and see one out in the pond, move your arm in a throwing motion and if the gator starts moving toward you, it’s time to call the Florida Wildlife Commission,” Justin Matthews, owner of Matthews Wildlife Rescue, told the station.
The FWC told the Bradenton Herald they were confident the correct alligator was removed because there were no others in the area matching the size and description of the one responsible.
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