74-year-old woman fends off alligator with a shovel after attack while gardening

A 74-year-old woman was attacked by an alligator as she gardened outside her Verona Walk home in Collier County Thursday.

Greater Naples Fire Chief Nolan Sapp said the gator attacked her on the leg and she beat it off with a shovel.

Thursday night, it was confirmed the alligator was caught.

The attack happened at a home in the 8000 block of Wilfredo Court. The alligator was approximately 6-feet long.

The woman, who neighbors call Jane, was transported to Physician’s Regional for treatment.

Sapp said the woman was calm after the attack.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said the attack was reported at 8:25 a.m.

FWC is now investigating the incident and has issued a permit for a trapper to remove the alligator.

Trappers were attempting to find the gator most of the day to no avail.

According to the 911 call, the alligator pulled Jane into the water. She had a big gouge outside of her right knee.

“She’s not hysterical; she’s OK,” said the 911 caller. “I heard her screaming and hitting it with a shovel.”

That cry for help is what still rings in Florencia Rosales’ mind.

Rosales said Jane was “on the floor screaming Help! Help! Help!”

Neighbors say it’s common to see gators in the water. They also see bears, pythons and even coyotes.

Now, they want the gator that attacked removed.

“She was tending her plants and those gators thought she was something else,” said another neighbor, Mary Randall. “She said it was a blur and it just came out of nowhere.”

“We saw Jane lying there. It was her right leg and it was in her calf, both front and back,” Randall added.

Paramedics were quick to respond.

Jane’s neighbors hope she is back in her garden sooner than later.

“We just hope she gets to us as quick as possible and gets better soon,” Randall said.