Woman Bitten By Alligator In Brevard County

A woman who just wanted to feed the fish and ducks became the latest victim of an alligator attack in Brevard County. The alligator lunged from the water and bit her hand at a popular park in Melbourne on Thursday.

Alligator Attack 100605 The alligator involved in the attack was captured and killed. Email News Sign-Up Multiple Choices - Auto sign-up (RIGHT ALIGN) GET WFTV NEWS HEADLINES BY EMAIL 9 a.m. Headlines Noon Headlines 4 p.m. Headlines News of the Strange Breaking News Alerts All sorts of people come down to Melbourne all day long to feed the wildlife, but one woman wasn't expecting she would become lunch for an alligator.

Everyday, dozens of people come out to Crane Creek to throw breadcrumbs to the catfish and the turtles. The wildlife there has become a bit of a local attraction, which might have also been the draw for the three-foot alligator.

The 5-year-old reptile was caught after it attacked a 25-year-old woman who told authorities she was leaning through the railing feeding the fish with her hands close to the murky water when the alligator appeared.

It jumped out of the water and latched on to her, puncturing her fingers before she was able to free her hand from its jaws. She was taken to the hospital, bandaged up and given antibiotics. When she returned to the boardwalk, she refused to talk about the incident.

Frequent visitors said gators are often spotted in the water there. The city even put up signs to warn people about state laws forbidding feeding them, laws designed to prevent attacks.

The alligator involved in Thursday's attack has committed the ultimate offense and Fish and Wildlife officials said they couldn't release it into the wild anywhere. In this case, biting the hand that was feeding the fish around it will cost the gator its life.

One park employee said he couldn't recall anyone ever being bitten in the park in the last 25 years.

If the state determines the woman fed the alligator, she could be fined.