Gator attacks homeless woman at Florida lake, investigators say

Florida wildlife officials said a homeless woman was attacked by an alligator Wednesday while swimming in a lake.

Felicitie Gillette, 24, was swimming in Lake Hernando in Citrus County around 1 a.m., when an alligator snatched her left arm, and tried to drag her underwater, WFTS-TV reported, citing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Gillette was able to fend off the gator and called 911. She was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and was treated and later released.

The alligator, according to the news station, is believed to be around 5- to 6-feet long, and is being sought by wildlife officials.

The commission warned that alligators inhabit many aquatic areas of Florida’s 67 counties, but ask that if anyone sees specific gators that may pose a threat to humans, pets or property, they could call the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program hotline at 866-392-4286.

The reported alligator attack comes days after a woman in South Carolina was killed while trying to protect her dog during their daily walk at her vacation home in a private resort on Hilton Head Island.

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An 8-foot-long alligator “attacked and pulled” the woman into the water, and she died. The gator later was found and killed.

Florida currently is undergoing an alligator harvest in which permit-holders hunt the reptile “as a method to help manage the alligator population.”