Hurricane Harvey: More Than 300 Gators East Of Houston Could Soon Escape Enclosure

BEAUMONT, TX — As if things weren't bad enough in the Houston area amid Tropical Storm Harvey, up to 350 alligators at a sanctuary east of town could soon escape if water levels continue to rise, according to reports.

Currently, risen water levels at Gator Country, in Beaumont, Texas, are a mere foot from the top of the fence line of at the enclosure, the owner of the 15-acre sanctuary told KFDM. Proprietor Gary Saurage said the alligators are contained behind "certified high fences."

But, then again, what's being experienced along the Texas Gulf Coast is now being called a 1,000-year flood event. Notwithstanding certified fence heights, nobody ever expected the water to get this high.

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"We're less than a foot from (water) going over the fences," Saurage told the news station. "We've worked around the clock and I don't know what else to do. We're truly tired. Everybody's at the end of it, man. We don't know what to do."

On Tuesday, a weather gauge in southeast Houston registered more than 51 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Harvey. While that level is preliminary, it will have broken the record for the greatest amount of rain recorded from a single tropical storm or hurricane in the continental United States, according to the National Weather Service. Stated another way: That's more than 4 feet of rain.

Given those rising water levels, fears previously emerged over the potential of displaced alligators from Houston-area bayous. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office earlier confirmed the possibility of such a scenario, although extensive reports of the errant reptiles have not materialized.

But then there's Gator Country, home to hundreds of rescued alligators, who would be able to swim for miles should they slip out of their enclosure amid high waters. So far, the Beaumont Enterprise newspaper reports none of the alligators have escaped.

Some good news to this horrific, yet plausible, scenario: Gator Country's two biggest gators—Big Al and Big Tex—remain safely held in trailers apart from the main enclosure, according to KFDM. More good news: The rain finally stopped on Tuesday, and residents experienced sunshine for the first time in days.

Still, this could change amid reports that Harvey could still strengthen. Let's hope the water doesn't continue rising.

>>> Photo credit: Hameltion via Wikimedia Commons