An 84-year-old woman was reportedly hospitalized after an alligator attacked her while she was walking her dog in Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said the woman was walking her dog in a neighborhood in the North Fort Myers area around 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, when the incident happened, according to NBC News, WINK News and the Fort Meyers News-Press. 

The FWC, Lee County Sheriff’s Office and EMS responded to the scene, and the woman was transported to a local hospital, according to NBC and WINK News. Her condition was unknown as of Friday, per NBC News. 

FWC spokesperson Bradley Johnson told NBC News that a 7-foot, 3-inch alligator bit the woman on her right leg, describing her injuries as “significant.” He also said she sustained injuries to her arms and a wrist.

Johnson added that her dog was uninjured in the incident.

After a nuisance alligator trapper found the animal, it was “humanely euthanized” due to public safety, Johnson explained.

The FWC did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Mark Burlingham, who lived in the neighborhood and called 911, told the Fort Meyers News-Press that he had been alerted to the incident by a loud noise: “I was outside, and I heard someone screaming.” When he found her, he thought he saw her bones through the gash.

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In a separate interview with WINK News, Burlingham recalled, “I ran down there … and she was laying on the ground with her dog, and [she] said that the alligator came up to get the dog. She pulled the dog out of the way and the gator got her leg and arm and hand.”

“He was a thick gator,” Burlingham added. “She’s lucky she didn’t lose her life.”

According to the FWC, serious injuries caused by alligators are rare. In its latest report on alligator bites, it noted that there were 11 alligator bites in 2022 and only nine the year prior. There also hasn’t been a death due to an alligator bite since 2019, per the FWC.

The FWC recommends that Florida residents “keep a safe distance away” if they see an alligator, never feed an alligator and keep “pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge” as they “resemble alligators’ natural prey.” FWC also noted that alligators were the most active between “dusk and dawn.”

The South Florida Bulls (1-0) visit the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0) at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, September 7, 2024.

What channel is Alabama vs. South Florida on?

• Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• Date: Sept. 7
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV channel: ESPN
• Live stream: Fubo
• Live stream: Sling

What time is Alabama vs. South Florida?

Alabama and South Florida play at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Alabama vs. South Florida betting odds, lines, spread

• Spread favorite: Alabama (-31)
• Moneyline: Alabama (-10000), South Florida (+2167)
• Total: 64.5 points

Odds courtesy of BetMGM

Watch Alabama vs. South Florida with Fubo FREE trial

Alabama schedule

South Florida schedule

This content was created for Gannett using technology provided by Data Skrive.

The ACLU is crying foul over a webpage on a state government site that advocates against Amendment 4, the ballot initiative that aims to expand abortion rights in Florida.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration unveiled a new page this week that warns against the citizen-led initiative aiming to legalize abortion up until viability.

The webpage reads: “Florida is protecting life. Don’t let the fearmongers lie to you.”

“It is the use of state resources for a political campaign,” said Bacardi Jackson, the executive director of the ACLU of Florida. “While it may not specifically say vote no, it is mere propaganda and it is also misinformation that’s being peddled to voters.”

The state agency said in a statement the new page serves to educate Floridians on the state’s current abortion laws and proposed policy changes that would impact care across the state.

The ACLU calls the move disturbing and an abuse of power.

“Instead of going through the proper political process, where each side raises money and garners support, the government is stepping in with this bully platform with this misinformation and undermining a political process that should be more fair than this,” Jackson said.

Charles Zelden, a political science professor at Nova Southeastern University, says it is unusual and improper for a state agency to be advocating in such a way.

“It’s one thing if a member of the state legislature or the governor takes the stance. It’s another thing when it’s the health department,” he said. “You begin to question whether this is a valid use of their authority to try and convince people to vote against an amendment.”

Zelden says he’s not sure what the Health Care Administration is doing is illegal.

The ACLU says it’s looking at whether using taxpayer dollars for political campaigns is lawful and if there are any actions they can take.