Woman walking dog in Hilton Head survives alligator attack

An eight-foot-long alligator bit a Hilton Head woman as she was walking her dog Friday morning.

Posted 1:04 p.m. Sep 3, 2021 — Updated 1:20 p.m. Sep 3, 2021

NBC News Channel

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — An eight-foot-long alligator bit a Hilton Head woman as she was walking her dog Friday morning.

According to Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue, a witness heard a commotion at a lagoon near her home in the Hilton Head Plantation neighborhood. She found the victim in the water with an alligator latched onto her lower legs.

The witness got in the water and tried to pull the woman to safety. The witness's husband joined in, and they were able to get the woman free.

The victim was taken to Memorial Health in Savannah. Her dog was not harmed.

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officers arranged to have the alligator euthanized.

A DNR spokesman said they will have the gator's contents examined to determine if it had been fed.

12-foot long alligator surfing waves at Oak Island is 'a regular sight,' officials say

Alligators are not a threat to people, unless people feed them, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. You are more likely to get struck by lightning, or win a lottery, than you are to be attacked by alligator, researchers say.

The majority of alligator attacks are caused by people attempting to capture, pick up or feed the alligators, research shows.

Don't be bait: What to do if you see an alligator in NC

Feeding, harassing or harming alligators is dangerous, and a violation of North Carolina law. Killing an alligator could cost you a $500 fine and 2 to 24 months in jail.

Stay the length of a school bus away from a small alligator and double that for adult alligators, wildlife experts say. In North Carolina, gators can be as long as 13 feet and weigh up to 500 pounds.

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