Carol Hough: Alligator rips off Leesburg woman's arm

LEESBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities say an alligator attacked an elderly woman and ripped off her arm in a central Florida canal.

   Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokeswoman Joy Hill says the woman was hospitalized in Orlando in stable condition.

   The Lake County Sheriff's Office identified the woman as 84-year-old Carol Hough.

   Hough's neighbor tells the Orlando Sentinel (http://thesent.nl/QxqdCn ) that he saw the Leesburg woman flailing Wednesday morning in the canal that runs behind their mobile homes. Delmas Zickefoose says he jumped into the canal and pulled Hough back to land.

   Zickefoose says Hough's entire left arm was gone but she wasn't screaming. It wasn't clear why Hough was in the water.

   A sheriff's deputy tracked an 8-foot alligator along the canal. Hill says the reptile will be trapped and killed.

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   Information from: Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel, http://www.orlandosentinel.com