Give gators space and you’ll be OK, says expert
With alligator mating season in full swing, Bay Area residents have reported at least a dozen encounters with the slithery creatures over the past two weeks, officials said.
“This is the season,” said Lt. Kevin Glass, game warden with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. “One of the common calls we get from the public in our Harris County District is alligators, either on the roadway, crossing the roadway or in somebody’s pond.”
If you have a close encounter with an alligator, back away slowly, Black said.
Alligators have a natural fear of humans and typically will quickly retreat when approached.
“People just need to understand that if they see them, give them space where they can get away,” he said. “Don’t crowd them, don’t push them, don’t try to move them. In time they’re going to move to water or to food.”
On April 20, a Seabrook resident reported an alligator along the Pine Gulley channel, and at least two alligators have been spotted in recent weeks at Clear Lake and by the Seabrook-Kemah Bridge, said LeaAnn Dearman, spokeswoman for the city of Seabrook.
“While many may worry that the alligators are dangerous we just want to make residents aware that the water-
ways in Seabrook are their natural habitat and they are not typically dangerous to people,” she said.
All alligator sightings are reported to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s Game Enforcement Division, which contracts with nuisance control hunters to remove the reptiles, Black said.
“You can see an alligator anywhere there’s water,” he said. “Think about all the drainage ditches we have. They’re manmade watersheds, and alligators, fish, snakes and turtles all move up and down (drainage ditches).
“With Seabrook being right along Galveston Bay, alligators move in and out of saltwater and they are part of the ecosystem,” he said.
Typically, captured alligators are relocated to Houston-area bays and bayous. Or they could be euthanized if they pose an “immediate threat” to people or property, Black said.
“It depends on the size,” he said.
“We’re not going to get a game warden injured. If it’s small enough where we feel like we can move it safely, they’ll usually go to wildlife rescues or to any of the bayous that are their native habitats.”
In recent years, alligators have been spotted throughout the Texas Gulf Coast — especially during mating season, officials said.
In 2012, a 10-foot-long alligator was caught in the parking lot area of South Shore Harbour Marina in League City, city spokeswoman Jenna Simsen said.
It took a game warden about two hours to round up the gator before placing it in a truck and relocating it to a farm in El Campo.
In 2013, a 4- to 5-foot alligator had swimmers and surfers scrambling when it turned up on Bermuda Beach on Galveston’s West End. After a call to 911, law enforcement and game wardens captured the reptile, which was released somewhere on the mainland, according to an offical of the Galveston Island Beach Patrol.
Last summer, an 8- to 10-foot alligator was removed from Taylor Lake, southwest of Houston near Galveston Bay, Black said.
Also last year, a large alligator was extracted from the water behind Butler Longhorn Museum in League City, according to Kim Schoolcraft, League City’s animal services manager.
“Some teenagers had been feeding it, which made it likely to approach people,” she said.
And just last week, Black said, a 10-foot alligator was removed from the Sheldon Reservoir, about 16 miles northeast of downtown Houston.No injuries were reported in any of the alligator sighting incidents.
Amanda Kaylor, livestock deputy for Brazoria County, said there have been 15-20 alligator sightings in the county over the past month, mostly in the central and western parts of the county. Kaylor said she ahad received no sightings in the Pearland area.
The western county includes the cities of Brazoria and Damon, both near the Brazos and San Bernard rivers. The central county includes Angleton and Danbury, home to Bastrop Bayou and numerous rice canals. Southern Brazoria County encompasses Freeport and Surfside, where the Oyster Creek and the Brazos River are alligator habitats.
“In most cases, it’s a gator that got kicked out by a larger gator,” Kaylor said. “Rather than being eaten, they go find them a new home. Especially with all the rain we’ve had, they’ve been on the move quite a bit lately.”
The best thing to do when an alligator is spotted is nothing at all, she said.
“Normally if you just leave them alone, they’re going to go about their business and leave you alone,” Kaylor said. “If you’re at home, you want to keep your pets away from them, and they’re just going to cruise on by and do their own thing.’
No injuries were reported in the Brazoria County encounters, she said.