United States authorities killed an alligator on Monday after the animal had attacked an 85-year-old woman and her dog in Fort Pierce in Florida.
The dog survived the attack, but the woman fell and was dragged into the water, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials said.
When an alligator trapper and officers found the ten feet-long (3 meters) animal in a pond, they dragged him out of the water, tied his feet behind his back and put tape around his mouth and eyes, footage taken at the scene showed. The alligator was still alive when dragged over grass and lifted into a truck. He was taken to an unknown area, where he was killed.
Alligators are found in all 67 counties of Florida, according to the FWC; they “seldom bite people and fatalities from such occurrences are rare.” They experience stress when humans catch them. They are wild animals that are naturally wary of humans and other potential predators.
Authorities in Florida are warning residents about walking their dogs near the ponds in lakes in the area, because there could be an alligator residing in them.
