OT : Woman killed by Alligator on Hilton Head Island......
- Thread starter whart
- Start date
Is it not true gators are found as far north as Elizabeth City, NC? That's only 16.4 miles from the border with Virginia. I thought I heard that somewhere. Scientists believe it is do to global warming.
Another article said that the gator pulled both the dog and woman into the pond by the leash. If true, why not let go ? It just seems like there’s something missing from the account.
I have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time in HHI and I am trying to figure this out. Gators are not ambush predators like crocs. They don’t launch themselves out of the water like a missile. Now if you get into the water with one of these big ones, different story.
I have had the pleasure of spending a lot of time in HHI and I am trying to figure this out. Gators are not ambush predators like crocs. They don’t launch themselves out of the water like a missile. Now if you get into the water with one of these big ones, different story.
maybe she had it looped around her wrist....gator grabs the dog and takes off....she probably went with it pretty quickly
Years ago, in the 90's I remember an alligator making his home in a large pond, about 5 - 10 miles over the North Carolina/Virginia state line.
Maybe she spent a lot of money for that leash, and was reluctant to part with it.
Fishing in the back country areas along the Florida east coast I have seen big alligators cross a dirt road at a speed you would not expect. They get up on all four legs and run faster than most humans at middle age or older.
The problem with these community ponds is that the alligators get used to seeing people and their pets and loose whatever fear they had when they were in a more remote setting. So at some point they wander out of the pond and go hunting. Most of the wade fishermen I know carry concealed and also have a large wading staff with a sharp metal point.
The problem with these community ponds is that the alligators get used to seeing people and their pets and loose whatever fear they had when they were in a more remote setting. So at some point they wander out of the pond and go hunting. Most of the wade fishermen I know carry concealed and also have a large wading staff with a sharp metal point.
I guess the cause of death will be drowning.
"The alligator believed to be responsible for the attack was captured and killed, said Robert McCullough, a captain for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
The dog was not harmed, the authorities said.
Alligators typically roll their victim beneath the water’s surface until their prey stops breathing, before stashing the body to eat later."
"The alligator believed to be responsible for the attack was captured and killed, said Robert McCullough, a captain for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
The dog was not harmed, the authorities said.
Alligators typically roll their victim beneath the water’s surface until their prey stops breathing, before stashing the body to eat later."
Having spent a fair amount of time at HHI, I can say that the number of close encounters between alligators and humans have been very high there over the years. No, the alligators there are absolutely not ambush predators like crocodiles in most of the tropical world. If they were, fatal attacks like the recent one would happen more than once a day, every day.
It is true that the local authorities do “ cull “ the larger animals and move them to the forest preserve on the island. If you believe these animals would stay there, I have some gator - free swamp land to sell you. There are rumors that many of these animals end up on local restaurant menus.
A few years ago in HHI, I saw what was probably a 9 to 9.5 foot gator in a small triangular - shaped water feature that connected two large ponds. The creature had positioned himself right in front of a large drainage pipe forcing anything trying to move from one pond to another to swim right past his jaws. Interestingly, three separate pedestrian / bike paths intersected around this relatively small, steep - banked water feature. This put large numbers of people of all ages within 20 feet of this animal all day, every day. He was there the whole week I was there and nothing happened. I imagine he was eventually “ moved “ by the local authorities. The takeaway, is that as long as you didn’t get into or right up to the water, you had nothing to worry about.
It is true that the local authorities do “ cull “ the larger animals and move them to the forest preserve on the island. If you believe these animals would stay there, I have some gator - free swamp land to sell you. There are rumors that many of these animals end up on local restaurant menus.
A few years ago in HHI, I saw what was probably a 9 to 9.5 foot gator in a small triangular - shaped water feature that connected two large ponds. The creature had positioned himself right in front of a large drainage pipe forcing anything trying to move from one pond to another to swim right past his jaws. Interestingly, three separate pedestrian / bike paths intersected around this relatively small, steep - banked water feature. This put large numbers of people of all ages within 20 feet of this animal all day, every day. He was there the whole week I was there and nothing happened. I imagine he was eventually “ moved “ by the local authorities. The takeaway, is that as long as you didn’t get into or right up to the water, you had nothing to worry about.
Dog realized it was important to be quicker than it's owner.
About 8 years ago they trapped a 13.5 foot alligator in South Carolina.
I've read that gators in SC can grow to 14-15 feet. They're not getting that big by eating fish and water fowl. They're killing Dear, Hogs, dogs and unfortunately humans on rare occasions. If the state allows it always carry a side arm.
Last edited:
Um, not even close.....stats for Florida:
Gator attacks 401
Fatalities 24
Edit: For toddlers and dogs they are usually fatal
True, but she better be quick on the draw. Gotta think that without the dog, the attack doesn't happen.
Gators certainly are ambush predators. They may not usually ambush humans but that is their main method of hunting. That’s exactly how that toddler at Disney was taken.
http://www.articlebiz.com/article/23670-1-alligators-natures-perfect-ambush-predator/
Good article. I think any of us who have observed alligators have seen this well camouflaged behavior.
Last edited:
You're probably right. Dogs barking and/or splashing around in water is like a dinner bell to an alligator.
There have been quite a few large ones taken in recent years since SCDNR has opened a draw hunt for them. They get hogs, just not as many as you might imagine. Those jokers are smart and will change their habits quickly. We do tend to supply them with dogs down here, though.
For those who see fit to try very poor attempts at levity over a very tragic situation. Her name is Cassandra Cline a young 45 years of age professional educator from Endicott NY. She was a lovely, vibrant , and caring kindergarten teacher. She and her husband had a second home in Hilton Head. Please remember that for every death there are family and friends mourning.
I almost hit one with a wayward iron shot last month at Harbor Town. The caddy quickly retrieved my ball and gave me a free drop. He said he'd watch the gator while I hit as long as I didn't take too many practice swings. I swung on the run. He thought the gator was in the 8 to 9 foot range. I tipped the caddy well.
Last year we had to detour from the cart path at Shipyard because of a gator. That one was at least 10 foot. Some guy with a long pole was trying to nudge the gator along. I did not hang around to see how he made out.
We go to HHI for our annual family vacation. Gator sitings are pretty frequent, especially in the waterways around golf courses.
We spend part of our year about 30 minutes. North of North Myrtle Beach and see lots and lots of gators. Strangest thing I have ever seen was a guy wading in the pond/lake on a golf course in NMB. He had net for pulling out golf balls and a large stick to scare away gators. I asked him if he was afraid of gators and he said “I am more afraid of one of your tee shots hitting me in the head than these gators” Yikes if I know His name I might have bought some life insurance . Wading in a pond of gators can not be healthy.
P.S. he had a hell of a big bag of golf balls
P.S. he had a hell of a big bag of golf balls
My brother in law once beaned one in the head with a low line drive he hit off the tee.
He certainly wasn’t trying to do it.
Rode my bike last month along the road where she was killed. Lady walking a dog mentioned she'd seen a large gator in that pond earlier in the day. We did not see it. Not sure I'd be walking a dog that close to one, but I guess people who live near them get so used to seeing them in the ponds that maybe they let down their guard. So sad.
Steve Irvin and Timothy Treadwell probably made a comment which was identical to the young man retrieving golfs balls at some point in their lives. We here in NJ have Animal Rights activists tell us to not fear Black Bears until of course a young man hiking with friends stumbled upon a den and a 300lbs Black Bear attacked and killed him. His friends did not even attempt to help. Again, a situation that would have been quickly resolved with a side arm.
Last edited:
A
anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
I said it, and I said they don’t ambush like crocodiles. I challenge you to find a video of a gator shooting out of the water like a croc and grabbing something.
If they did, what happened to the woman in HHi would not make national news because attacks like it would happen every day.
Interesting. Any large body of water in that area?
P.S. Looked it up. Seems there are a couple of wildlife refuges in the area (Red Slough River and one other).
Last edited:
A
anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
That's exactly how they'd attack a dog too close to the water. It's still an ambush whether there are distinctions in style between american alligators and the Nile crocs.
It made national news because gators don't typically attack and kill humans (under 30 in FL in the past 70 years or so), especially adult humans passing by. And it was particularly scary that it continued its attack on the woman after missing on the dog. I don't have a video to share, but i do have an article interviewing an expert on Florida alligators that followed the alligator killing the boy at Disney.
"To attack prey, gators remain camouflaged in the water with only their eyes peering above the surface. They're ambush hunters, so they wait for something to swim or walk by and then lunge towards it at speeds of more than 20 m.p.h. Using their powerful tails, gators can thrust their bodies up to 5 feet out of the water."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/expert-advice-on-how-to-survive-a-gator-attack/
Last edited by a moderator:
If gators could attack the same way as most croc species, there would be way more human deaths from them in the Americas. I think you would have a hard time finding a wildlife biologist who would rate gators equally dangerous to humans. Crocs are faster than gators and obtain more of their prey on land versus water than gators. They also are more tolerant of salt water, which means they have a bigger range in estuarine environments.
