An alligator bit the arms of a 31-year-old woman who was cooling off in a river after a hike with friends on Sunday in a state forest in Central Florida, causing severe injuries that led to her death, the authorities said on Monday.<\/p>\n
The woman, her boyfriend and a friend were kneeling in about 3 feet of water in the Econlockhatchee<\/a> River, after a walk in the Little Big Econ State Forest in Seminole County when the alligator attacked, they said.<\/p>\n Her boyfriend called 911 for help at about 1:30 p.m., saying she had been bitten on both arms, Officer Chad Weber, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said at a news conference<\/a> on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was trying to get her from the alligator\u2019s mouth,\u201d Officer Weber said.<\/p>\n In the 911 call, according to an excerpt broadcast by WESH 2 News<\/a>, the man described her condition as \u201cbad, real bad,\u201d adding, \u201cPlease hurry.\u201d <\/p>\n Officer Weber said in a text message on Tuesday that the woman \u201chad severe injuries to both arms.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman, who was identified on Tuesday as Brittany Clark of Orlando, was treated by emergency medical personnel, but she died on the way to the hospital, Mr. Weber said.<\/p>\n After the attack, the alligator released its hold on the woman and remained in the area, the authorities said.<\/p>\n She died of \u201cmultiple blunt force injuries of the upper extremities,\u201d the Office of the Medical Examiner said in a statement.<\/p>\n Lt. Grant Eller, an investigator with the commission, said at the news conference that the authorities captured a 12.5-foot alligator and a 13-foot alligator and were conducting DNA tests to determine which one bit her.<\/p>\n Officer Weber, reached by telephone on Tuesday, said that alligators have been \u201cvery active and highly territorial\u201d as the mating season comes to an end and lower water levels, caused by a statewide drought, propel them to search for new habitats.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are seeking different areas, and are moving around quite a bit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Maj. Jay Russell, the commission\u2019s regional commander, called the fatal attack \u201cincredibly tragic.\u201d<\/p>\n It was the third alligator attack in recent days in Florida this month. In Marion County, in north-central Florida, a boy was bitten on the hand by an alligator while fishing on the Ocklawaha River<\/a> on Saturday,<\/a> WESH reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n On June 21, the Fish and Wildlife Commission briefly closed the Rainbow River in Marion County after an alligator bit and injured a man as he was snorkeling, according to the Marion County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a> and local news reports.<\/p>\n Such attacks are rare, Officer Weber said. Florida had an average of eight unprovoked alligator bites a year<\/a> over the 10-year period that ended in 2022, according to the commission.<\/p>\n The commission has been warning people to be cautious in or near the state\u2019s coastlines and bodies of water during alligator mating season, which runs from early April to the end of June. In a state popular with enthusiasts of water sports and outdoor activities, alligator encounters inevitably occur.<\/p>\n