Woman Killed By Alligator While Canoeing On Florida Lake

An alligator snatched a woman out of a canoe in Florida and killed her despite her husband’s efforts to fight the animal off, authorities said.

the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a news release that the attack occurred in Lake Kissimmee, near the mouth of Tiger Creek, south of Orlando on Tuesday. The woman and her husband were canoeing when they encountered the alligator.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene to assist in the search. According to a law enforcement radio transmission obtained by WKMG, the woman’s husband tried to fight the alligator.

“Gator grabbed her out of the canoe,” a deputy says. “He tried to fight the gator off. We’re at the last place he saw her. He left the paddle here where he last saw her at.”

The woman’s body was later spotted by a search helicopter and recovered from the water. Authorities did not immediately release the woman’s identity.

Wildlife officials said a nuisance alligator trapper was sent to the area.

While injury or death caused by alligators is rare in Florida, there is significant human-alligator conflict. Nuisance alligators are defined as being over 4 feet long and considered a threat to people, pets or property, according to the FWC. Residents with concerns about an alligator can call the FWC’s toll free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at (866) 392-4286.