From 1948 to 2024, Florida has recorded 487 unprovoked alligator bites on humans, with 27 resulting in fatalities, officials said
*A couple was canoeing near the mouth of Tiger Creek into Lake Kissimmee in Florida on May 6 when the alligator attack occurred
*The body of the victim, who has not been identified at this time, was later recovered
*The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the incident remains under investigation
A woman was attacked and killed by an alligator while canoeing on a Florida lake, authorities said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a news release shared with PEOPLE that the agency responded to a reported alligator incident near the mouth of Tiger Creek into Lake Kissimmee in Polk County at 4:02 p.m., local time, on Tuesday, May 6.
Based on preliminary information, authorities said the woman was in a canoe when she encountered the animal and went into the water.
“The woman was later recovered from the water and is declared deceased,” the department said.
The agency added that Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, members of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and other emergency responders arrived at the scene. A contracted nuisance alligator trapper was also dispatched.
The sheriff’s office said that two people were kayaking on the lake when the attack occurred, Florida Today reported.
According to radio transmissions from the sheriff’s office, shared by CBS affiliate WKMG, an official said that the alligator “grabbed her out of the canoe. [Her husband] 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.”
The official added that the helicopter “spotted the victim floating in the water and FWC officers recovered her from the water, where she was pronounced deceased.”
The victim has not been identified at this time.
“The incident remains under investigation and no additional details are available,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
Covering approximately 35,000 acres across Polk and Osceola counties, Lake Kissimmee has a large concentration of gators in Florida, Fox affiliate WTVT reported.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission statistics, from 1948 to 2024, the state has recorded 487 unprovoked alligator bites on humans, with 27 resulting in fatalities.
The agency recommended visitors follow precautionary measures upon spotting alligators in or near water — including keeping a safe distance from the animals, not feeding them and swimming only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours.
