A woman was attacked and killed by an alligator while canoeing on a Florida lake, according to authorities.
According to a news release shared with PEOPLE, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to a reported alligator incident near the mouth of Tiger Creek into Lake Kissimmee in Polk County on Tuesday, May 6, at 4:02 p.m. local time.
According to preliminary reports, the woman was in a canoe when she encountered the animal and entered the water.
“The woman was later recovered from the water and is declared deceased,” the department stated.
According to the agency, officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, and other emergency responders arrived on the scene. A professional nuisance alligator trapper was also dispatched.
According to Florida Today, the sheriff’s office reported that the attack happened while two people were kayaking on the lake.
Radio transmissions from the sheriff’s office, shared by CBS affiliate WKMG, indicate that an alligator “grabbed her out of the canoe.” [Her husband] attempted to fight the gator off. We’re in the last place he saw her. He left the paddle right where he last saw her.
The official also stated that the helicopter “spotted the victim floating in the water and FWC officers recovered her from the water, where she was pronounced deceased.”
Currently, the victim has not been identified.
“The incident is still under investigation, and no additional information is available,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated.
Lake Kissimmee, located on 35,000 acres in Polk and Osceola counties, is home to a high concentration of gators in Florida, according to Fox affiliate WTVT.
Between 1948 and 2024, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported 487 unprovoked alligator bites on humans, 27 of which were fatal.
The agency advised visitors to take precautions when spotting alligators in or near water, such as keeping a safe distance from the animals, not feeding them, and swimming only in designated areas during daylight hours.
