Fatal alligator attack on Florida golf course

AN ELDERLY woman who fell into a pond at a golf course in Florida was mauled by two alligators, authorities said, in the third such fatal attack in the US this year.

The 80-year-old, who has not been named, was seen struggling in the water near her house in Englewood on Friday night and was pronounced dead at the scene. “While in the water, two alligators were observed near the victim and ultimately grabbed her while in the water,” the local sheriff ’s office said.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) sent a specialised trapper to the pond, where two alligators were removed and killed. One was 8ft 10in long and the other measured 7ft 7in.

The incident at the Boca Royale Golf and Country Club marks the third death in the US this year caused by alligators.

In May, the body of a man who was searching for frisbees in a lake in Largo, Florida, was found. In June, another man was killed after being dragged into a pond by an alligator in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

However, experts have stressed that despite the number of alligators in the state, fatal attacks are rare in Florida. The FWC says there are an average of eight unprovoked attacks by alligators a year that require medical treatment.