An alligator attack resulted in the death of an 80-year-old woman who accidentally fell into a pond at a Florida golf course. On Friday, July 15th, Rose Marie Wiegand of Englewood, FL fell into a pond on the Boca Royale Golf Course just before 8 PM and had difficulty staying above water. Two alligators near the victim fatally attacked her. The Sarasota County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the alligator attack was the cause of her death.
A contracted trapper for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured two alligators (one measuring 8 feet 10 inches and the other 7 feet 7 inches) that were later euthanized. According to the Commission, there is a 1-in-3.1-million chance of being seriously injured by an alligator. Between 1948 and 2021, there were 26 alligator-related Florida deaths. This is the second alligator-related death in Florida since May and the third overall in the United States. A man was killed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after being dragged into a pond by an alligator.
According to Wildlife Commission spokesman Adam Brown, alligators become more active during the hotter months as their metabolism increases and they seek food. However, humans are rarely targeted. Brown explains that ‘Alligators are opportunistic eaters that chow down on the animals that are most accessible to them,’ he says. According to Brown, ‘They prefer to go after prey that is easy to overpower.‘ Keep at least 60 feet away from the alligator to stay safe, says ecologist Elizabeth R. Hogan of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory at the University of Georgia. You’re in danger if it hisses or lunges in our direction.
