May 27 (UPI) -- An 8 1/2-foot alligator that attacked a woman while she swam in a Brevard County, Fla., pond was captured, state wildlife officials said.

Nicole Tillman of Melbourne, Fla., received significant but non-life-threatening injuries at Fay Lake Wilderness Park in Port St. John, Fla., when she was attacked Saturday, Brevard County Fire and Rescue said. She was airlifted by helicopter to a trauma center.


A hired trapper later removed the alligator suspected in the attack from the water, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced without specifying where the alligator was sent.

Chris Weber, an agency spokesman, said that serious injuries caused by alligators in Florida are rare. Weber also reiterated the need to look for alligators before entering any body of water, adding that they are most active during the spring and summer.