In a tragic incident, a woman was killed in an alligator attack while walking her dog in South Carolina on Tuesday morning. This marks the second fatal alligator attack in the county within a year. Authorities responded to a report of a possible alligator attack near a lagoon bordering a golf course in the Spanish Wells community on Hilton Head Island. The woman, a 69-year-old resident of the community, was found unresponsive at the edge of the lagoon. Efforts to rescue her were interrupted by an alligator, which was later safely removed from the area.
The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources tweeted that their biologists and officers are responding to the incident.
This tragic incident comes less than a year after another woman was fatally attacked by an alligator in Beaufort County. Last year, an 88-year-old woman was killed by an alligator at a lagoon near her home in Sun City. In 2020, deputies had to shoot and kill an alligator that had attacked and killed a 58-year-old woman on Kiawah Island. In 2019, a man was found dead on Kiawah Island with suspected alligator bite marks, although the cause of his initial death was unclear. Prior to these incidents, South Carolina had never recorded a fatal alligator attack.
South Carolina, Department of Natural Resources, has been working to manage the alligator population and educate the public about safety measures. However, encounters between humans and alligators can still occur, especially in areas where the reptiles are known to inhabit. It is important for residents and visitors to remain vigilant and take precautions when near bodies of water where alligators may be present.