An 85-year-old woman was killed by an alligator while walking her dog in a retirement community in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The woman was trying to save her dog after the alligator first attacked the pet.
A neighbour called emergency services after seeing the three-metre alligator dragging the woman into the water.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to the call along with the St Lucie County Sheriff's Office who used a helicopter to locate the alligator.
The dog survived the attack but the woman died from her injuries.
Alligators can be found in all 67 counties of Florida but according to the FWC website, fatalities are rare and bites to people are not often reported.
Alligators are commonly seen in Florida, crossing streets, on golf courses or lurking in waterways.
But serious injuries caused by them are rare, with the FWC website saying the likelihood is just one in 3.1 million for a Florida resident.
From 1948 to 2021, 26 bites have resulted in human fatalities.
