She came to do nails and got nailed.....by an alligator.
Some think of alligators as a Florida animal.But the truth is, that several southern US states have them.
Wherever they, or crocodiles exist, extreme caution & distance is advised.
They are quite smart, like a puma and will look for patterns in behavior
and wait at the most vulnerable point in the victims routine.
For instance they've been known to wait under cars, or at the water's edge.
They can run faster than a horse for the first 100 yards.
They have a very powerful tail and strong jaws, when they chomp down.
They will remain motionless until the victim is close enough.
They can jump out of water up to 12 feet high.
If near water, they very quickly grab the victim, pull it into the water and spin, known as a "death roll".
That spin breaks skin & bones and disorients the victim in the murky water
as to which way is up.
Then, they can hold their breath under water a lot longer than most mammals.
After you have drowned, they will stash your body under a fallen tree or branches
within the water and rip off pieces of your body to feed off for days.
Most people in the area know to keep their distance.
But, whether it's a virus, or a predator, some, who refuse social distancing, make it too easy.
Yesterday afternoon in The Associated Press;
In response to:
Woman killed by alligator in SC was doing homeowner's nails
by JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press May 5, 2020, 3:01 PM EDT
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The woman attacked and killed by an alligator in a gated community along the South Carolina coast was visiting the homeowner to do her nails and was trying to touch the animal when it grabbed her, authorities said.
After briefly getting away from the alligator Friday, the woman stood in waist deep water in the Kiawah Island pond and said “I guess I wont do this again,” but the alligator grabbed her in its jaws again and took her under, according to a supplemental police report released Tuesday.
Cynthia Covert, 58, died of drowning before Charleston County deputies and firefighters were able to shoot and kill the alligator and use poles to get her out of the pond, authorities said.
Covert came to Kiawah Island, a gated community southeast of Charleston, to give the homeowner a manicure Friday, according to the police report.
The woman told deputies Covert typically was professional in her salon, but was relaxed and excited at the home, talking about her boyfriend's visit from Tennessee, and brought a glass of wine with her.
Covert saw the alligator while working on the woman's porch and when Covert finished she started taking pictures of the alligator, the woman told deputies.
The woman and her husband started screaming for Covert to get away from the alligator because they saw it grab a deer a few days earlier, deputies said.
Covert said “I don't look like a deer” and reached to touch the alligator when the animal attacked, according to the report.
The husband and a neighbor grabbed a rope and threw it to Covert when she surfaced and stood in the pond. Covert grabbed the rope and said “I guess I wont do this again,” but was suddenly pulled under by the alligator, the police report said.
Deputies and firefighters looked for Colvert for 10 minutes before her body surfaced. The alligator took her back under once. When the alligator surfaced again, a deputy shot the animal in the head with his 9 mm handgun, the police report said.
Covert's leg was severely damaged, but an autopsy determined she drowned, the Charleston County Coroner's Office said.
Covert was the third person killed by an alligator in South Carolina in the past four years. A 90-year-old woman walked out of a Charleston nursing home in 2016 and was killed, while a 45-year-old woman walking her dog was fatally attacked on Hilton Head Island in August 2018.
Before those attacks, South Carolina had never recorded a person killed by an alligator.
Woman killed by alligator in SC was doing homeowner's nails
by JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press May 5, 2020, 3:01 PM EDT
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The woman attacked and killed by an alligator in a gated community along the South Carolina coast was visiting the homeowner to do her nails and was trying to touch the animal when it grabbed her, authorities said.
After briefly getting away from the alligator Friday, the woman stood in waist deep water in the Kiawah Island pond and said “I guess I wont do this again,” but the alligator grabbed her in its jaws again and took her under, according to a supplemental police report released Tuesday.
Cynthia Covert, 58, died of drowning before Charleston County deputies and firefighters were able to shoot and kill the alligator and use poles to get her out of the pond, authorities said.
Covert came to Kiawah Island, a gated community southeast of Charleston, to give the homeowner a manicure Friday, according to the police report.
The woman told deputies Covert typically was professional in her salon, but was relaxed and excited at the home, talking about her boyfriend's visit from Tennessee, and brought a glass of wine with her.
Covert saw the alligator while working on the woman's porch and when Covert finished she started taking pictures of the alligator, the woman told deputies.
The woman and her husband started screaming for Covert to get away from the alligator because they saw it grab a deer a few days earlier, deputies said.
Covert said “I don't look like a deer” and reached to touch the alligator when the animal attacked, according to the report.
The husband and a neighbor grabbed a rope and threw it to Covert when she surfaced and stood in the pond. Covert grabbed the rope and said “I guess I wont do this again,” but was suddenly pulled under by the alligator, the police report said.
Deputies and firefighters looked for Colvert for 10 minutes before her body surfaced. The alligator took her back under once. When the alligator surfaced again, a deputy shot the animal in the head with his 9 mm handgun, the police report said.
Covert's leg was severely damaged, but an autopsy determined she drowned, the Charleston County Coroner's Office said.
Covert was the third person killed by an alligator in South Carolina in the past four years. A 90-year-old woman walked out of a Charleston nursing home in 2016 and was killed, while a 45-year-old woman walking her dog was fatally attacked on Hilton Head Island in August 2018.
Before those attacks, South Carolina had never recorded a person killed by an alligator.
Comments (10)
That manicurist was crazy to want to "touch" it.
To look at the animal, it reminds you somewhat of perhaps Godzilla slowly plodding around.
But, I have seen them run. They are very fast, when they want to be, especially over short distances.
The average one can run 11 mph. But other ones can go faster.
The key is, that their speed can deceive you.
The average alligator can jump 6 feet, but because of that muscular tail bigger ones can jump higher.
If I exaggerated a bit, it's because these are things I've been told by experts.
Perhaps they were exaggerating, or perhaps not. Either way, I'd rather give a margin of safety.
alligators are capable of short bursts of speed that can exceed 30 miles per hour. This speed is typically seen when an alligator is lunging after prey on the bank of the water, not running across a large area of land.
I couldn't believe my eyes. That's when I starting asking experts how fast they could run.
Much like our athleticism, there is much variability between individuals.
I'd rather err on the side of safety.
There have never been any reports of alligators on the South Yorkshire stretch of the River Don, but that doesn't mean there never will be.
No, bit I'm thinking of a different animal.
Sad to hear it happened.
That manicurist was crazy to want to "touch" it.
However, she not only wanted to touch it, she reached to do so. Huge mistake.
That being said, I've held little ones in a wildlife sanctuary.
But, they weren't going to drag me to their fish tank and their mom wasn't anywhere near the sanctuary.
I didn't get to Florida this winter, but the year before, I visited wild alligators to take pictures of them almost daily at 7 different locations. I'm on the constant look-out for gators & snakes, when I am down there and find quite a few.