Huge Alligator Loose In Harvey Floods, Texas Game Wardens, Troopers Wrangle It

Huge Alligator Loose In Harvey Floods, Texas Game Wardens, Troopers Wrangle It
It took a half dozen Texas game wardens to wrangle an enormous alligator that trekked to higher ground in Harvey’s floods.

By Beth Dalbey (Patch National Staff) - Updated September 1, 2017 10:37 pm ET

A very big, and by big we mean 12 feet long, and presumably unhappy alligator found higher ground in Hurricane Harvey’s churning floods, and it took a half dozen or so Texas game wardens and troopers to wrangle the displaced reptile so it could be taken back where it belongs. The picture of the alligator rodeo on Twitter illustrates some of the dangers lurking in Harvey’s floodwaters along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Authorities warned Harvey flood victims that alligators, snakes and fire ant colonies were among the hidden dangers in the onslaught of rain that came for five straight days after Harvey slammed into the seaport town of Rockport on Aug. 25.

It’s unclear where the gator was caught, but authorities warned earlier this week that 350 alligators could escape from a sanctuary near Beaumont as floodwaters topped its high fences. (For more hurricane news or local news from Houston, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Houston Patch, and click here to find your local Texas Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The alligator the wardens wrestled and relocated was large by Texas standards. There are about 400,000 alligators in Texas swamps and bayous, but typically only grow to about 6 feet long, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife.

The largest alligator ever captured was 13½

Florida is better known for alligators, but Texas has about 400,000 of the reptiles, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife. They live mainly in wetland habitats in east Texas, and only grow to about 6 feet long.

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