Nearly 8-foot alligator attacks 77-year-old woman in gated southwest Florida community

Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
·1 min read
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A woman was hospitalized over the holiday weekend after being bitten by an alligator in Florida.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, a 77-year-old woman was walking by a pond just before 6 p.m. Saturday in the gated Lakewood Ranch community in Bradenton when she was bitten.

Bradenton is in Manatee County, about 15 miles from Sarasota.

The woman was taken to a hospital to be treated for unspecified injuries, wildlife commission spokeswoman Tammy Sapp told USA TODAY on Tuesday.

According to officials, someone who witnessed the attack kept an eye on the reptile until a trapper arrived and removed a 7-foot-10-inch-long alligator.

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The wildlife agency is confident the right alligator was removed, Sapp said, because no other reptiles were in the area fitting that size and description.

An alligator swims in the Florida Everglades on May 04, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Florida is home to one of the largest populations of alligators in the country, with a population over one million.
An alligator swims in the Florida Everglades on May 04, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Florida is home to one of the largest populations of alligators in the country, with a population over one million.

As of Tuesday, Sapp said, the woman was recovering. No one else was injured in the attack.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida woman attacked by alligator walking in Bradenton community