On Friday, in the wake of the Roe V. Wade ruling, a South Carolina man was killed by an 11-foot alligator that attacked him and pulled him into a retention pond, officials said.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Horry County Police Department said it responded to an emergency call around 11:45 on Friday near Myrtle Beach Golf & Yacht Club.
The police and the wildlife section of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) arrived on the scene and determined that an alligator attacked and had taken hold of the victim while they were near the retention pond.
The reptile then retreated into the body of water, according to a Facebook post from the authorities.
Following the attack, the victim’s body was recovered from the pond. Officials have not revealed the identity of the victim. The alligator was later caught by wildlife officials and euthanized on the scene, according to the police statement.
“Our hearts go out to the family and community members impacted by this tragic incident,” the police department said in a statement.
A biologist from the SCDNR and an alligator removal service contracted by the agency “determined that the alligator should be humanely euthanized on site.”
This isn’t the first time an alligator has been spotted in the Myrtle Beach community. In May, a resident took to Twitter to post a photo of three alligators behind his condo.
Hey @alligatoradvntr, found your next exhibits behind my condo in Myrtle Beach Golf and Yacht. There are 3 of them in this picture. pic.twitter.com/qOBwM98uFG
— Jason Repak (@RepakJason) May 8, 2022
South Carolina’s tragic event is not the only recent death from the enormous reptiles attacking humans.
A 47-year-old man hunting for golf discs was found dead in Florida last month after a suspected alligator attack in the waters of John S. Taylor Park in Largo.
DEADLY GATOR ATTACK: Police said a 47-year old man searching for frisbees in a Florida lake was found dead in a suspected alligator attack, the state’s first fatal attack since 2019. https://t.co/VCZDNZaZLS
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) May 31, 2022
According to a Business Insider report, it’s rare for humans to be attacked by alligators. Corbin Maxey, an alligator expert, says:
“When alligators do attack humans or bite them, it’s mainly by mistake, and then usually they’ll let go, ’cause they’ll realize, ah, this isn’t a deer, this isn’t a raccoon, this is foreign object, this is not something that I would want to eat.”
Sources: TheGatewayPundit, BusinessInsider
