ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — Officials have captured an alligator that killed an elderly woman.
The woman was believed to have been near the water at the time of the attack, Monday, in St. Lucie County.
Her family is now traveling there to deal with the situation.
Witnesses said the woman, who neighbors have identified as Gloria Serge, was walking her dog along a canal when the gator grabbed her pet. She tried to fight off the alligator to save her dog and was pulled in.
“She was very nice,” said Cindy Labare, a neighbor. “She was a sweet lady. She loved her dog very much, so I understand that her first thought was for the dog.”
Labare walks her dogs in this community as well and explained what she saw in the aftermath.
“I actually saw the gator floating away from where the body was. A neighbor went to the other side of the pond,” said Labare. “Police had rifles and they were just kind of waiting until they could get to the body. I think they were cautious cause they were concerned if the gator was around or not.”
The 85-year-old woman’s body was recovered at the Spanish Lakes Fairways, which is known to be a retirement community.
Neighbor Michael Love shot a video of when a trapper captured the alligator about two hours after the initial 911 call.
Officials tracked the reptile with a helicopter and located it on the opposite side of the pond from the attack.
“Once they become a nuisance, that’s when everybody has the right to call in and file a complaint,” said Robert Lilly, an alligator trapper.
The St. Lucie Sheriff’s Office said the alligator was estimated to be 10 to 11 feet long and weighed 600 to 700 pounds.
Brigitte Hermann, a neighbor, said the gator isn’t the only one she’s seen in the lake over the past year. Other neighbors told 7News they’ve complained, but nothing was done to get them out.
“He was awfully big,” Hermann said. “We’ve had another here that’s 11 feet, and then you have a young one. He’s about 4 feet.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida.
They also said that any alligator that’s over 4 feet long can be removed as a nuisance alligator, but there’s no word yet if there are any plans to remove those other alligators from the lake.
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