She Took Her Dog for a Stroll. Then, an Unwelcome Encounter

The incident happened in the Sun City retirement community
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 14, 2019 12:03 PM CDT
Gator Bites Woman Walking Her Dog in South Carolina
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/JonathanNicholls)

A 68-year-old South Carolina woman was walking her dog close to home near Hilton Head Island around 10pm Monday night when things went awry: She was attacked by an alligator. The woman lives in the Sun City retirement community, which features several ponds near the woman's house, CBS News reports; WIS-TV says she was walking her dog between her yard and her neighbor's yard. Her dog ran away and wasn't hurt, but the woman was bitten on the wrist and leg and was still hospitalized Tuesday afternoon.

An 8- to 9-foot gator matching the description of the one involved in the attack was later caught coming out of a pond 25 yards away from the victim's home and euthanized. Officials warn that while gators don't typically attack people, they can be aggressive toward dogs if they view them as prey. (It's been almost a year since a woman was killed trying to protect her dog from an alligator in the same area.)

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