An alligator k!lled a woman after dragging her from her canoe while she paddled on a popular fishing lake in Florida
The woman had been near the mouth of Tiger Creek into Lake Kissimmee, south of Orlando, when she was attacked just after 4pm on Tuesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said.
The woman went into the water and wasn’t seen again until her body was recovered nearby, FWC added.
The woman had been with another person at the time of the attack, sheriff’s officials said.
The emergency response included Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers and Polk County sheriff’s deputies.
The sheriff’s office said in a separate statement that the woman was in a kayak, distinguished by an enclosed hull, with another person who wasn’t reported injured.
But a commission spokesperson said the agency believes it was a canoe — also a paddle-powered vessel, but one with an open hull.
Investigators did not release any details about the attack or the alligator.
A contracted nuisance alligator trapper has been dispatched to the area.
FWC administers a nuisance alligator programme to remove creatures believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property.
Lake Kissimmee State Park offers visitors the opportunity to ‘explore the 35,000 acres of Lake Kissimmee and the neighboring lakes and creeks on the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes’, the Florida State Parks website says.
It adds: ‘Boating activities include wildlife viewing, sightseeing, bass fishing and pan fishing on some of Florida’s most pristine waterways.’
Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida, officials said.
But the horror comes after a string of recent alligator attacks in the state.
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