A 12-year-old girl was injured by an alligator at Lake Waccamaw in North Carolina on Friday, June 13, marking the first incident of its kind in the lake’s history. The attack occurred while several children were playing in shallow water, about four feet deep. Suddenly, one of them shouted that something had bitten her, prompting all the children to rush out of the lake.

Moments later, an alligator emerged from the same area where the girl had been standing. Authorities later clarified that although initial reports estimated the animal to be six to seven feet long, it was actually over 12 feet in length. Police described it as unusually large and referred to it as “a monster” after measuring it.

The injured girl sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Officials were initially unsure whether the wounds were caused by a bite or a claw, but confirmed they were definitely inflicted by the alligator. She received a few stitches and is now recovering well, according to local police, while the other children involved were unharmed.

Following the attack, the alligator was euthanized, which authorities say is standard procedure in such cases. Wildlife experts noted that unprovoked attacks like this are extremely rare, especially during the daytime. They also emphasized that the animal’s behavior was unusual and may have been linked to prior feeding by humans.

Officials reminded the public that feeding alligators is illegal in most places and can make the animals associate humans with food, increasing the risk of attacks. They urged residents and visitors to stay cautious, keep a safe distance from wildlife, and exit the water immediately if an alligator is spotted.