Three deadly reptile attacks in Florida and Mexico shock authorities

A 31-year-old woman was killed Sunday while swimming with friends in the Econlockhatchee River near the Barr Street Trailhead in Seminole County. In Mexico, a 28-year-old man from Mexico City died Friday after a crocodile attacked him near the beach area by the Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort and Spa and dragged him into the water.

The woman’s death was the third alligator-related incident in Central Florida within a week. A child was injured in a separate alligator attack over the same weekend while fishing in Marion County.

Warm weather is making reptiles more active and visible.

The attack site in Seminole County sits inside the Little Big Econ State Forest, within the Little Big Econlockhatchee Wildlife Management Area, a more than 7,000-acre stretch that includes seven miles of the Little Big Econ River. Alligators are found in all 67 Florida counties, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates the state’s population at 1.3 million.

Serious injuries from alligators are rare, even though Florida averages nearly 16,000 alligator-related complaints a year. Summer raises the risk because people and pets spend more time near water, while warmer conditions can make alligators and crocodiles more active and visible. FWC’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program generally treats an alligator as nuisance when it is at least 4 feet long and believed to threaten people, pets or property.

Keep a safe distance from the water’s edge, never feed alligators, keep pets away from the water, and swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. Call the Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286 if an alligator is causing concern so a qualified complaint can be assessed and, when needed, a contracted trapper can respond.