Gloria Serge has been identified as the woman who was killed by an alligator in St. Lucie County, Florida on Monday.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission released the name, saying that the 85-year-old was walking her small dog along a pond behind her house in the Spanish Lakes Fairways community – at 14313 Aguila Ave – when the reptile attacked her.
FWC said that an alligator came out of the water and attempted to grab her dog. Gloria Serge, defending her pet, could not get out of the way and the animal pulled her into the water by her foot. A woman called 911 and said she saw Serge was in trouble.
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“Ms. Serge was knocked over and the alligator pulled her into the water by her foot,” according to a commission incident report.
“Serge was pulled into deeper water and died as a result of the incident,” it said. The alligator, which was approximately 10 feet long, was caught and euthanized, it added.
The dog survived, commission spokesperson Arielle Callender told CNN on Monday.
The woman was recovered and the alligator involved in the incident was captured by a contracted nuisance alligator trapper, the fish and wildlife commission said.
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The alligator was estimated to be 11 feet long and weighed 600 to 700 pounds. Neighbors said Serge was a longtime resident of the community. She walked her Shih Tzu daily.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of the victim,” the commission said in a statement Monday.
According to the statement, serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in the state of Florida.
“The FWC places the highest priority on public safety and administers a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) to address complaints concerning specific alligators believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property,” the statement said.
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