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

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.

Despite the serious threat of alligators, the photo offered some moments of levity for Texans weary of the floods.

“Steven Irwin would be proud,” someone tweeted, referencing the late Irwin, an Australian zookeeper, conservationist and television personality known as the “The Crocodile Hunter.”

“They need a raise,” another person chimed in.

“I see an amusement park ride coming up,” someone else tweeted.

Photo via Texas Game Warden Twitter feed