Special to the PRESS
On Tuesday, Oct 4, horseback riders enjoying a ride along county beach #5 on South Padre Island photographed a seven-and-a-half-foot American Alligator resting along the shoreline, an odd place to see an alligator. Photos made their way into social media where they went viral across the RGV.
Warnings and questions spread through Facebook. People worried for the safety of their families and pets and wondered where it came from. Some called for the making of boots, and some even falsely claimed it escaped from the SPI Birding Nature Center’s nuisance alligator sanctuary stating that alligators aren’t native to the area.
The attention of many was set on this alligator that suddenly showed up on the beach. These animals almost always spur a great reaction with the public when they show up, especially in out of place areas, mainly because they are unfortunately sensationalized to be overly aggressive man-eaters by television shows and action movies.
In the days following the initial sighting, local Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens kept watch along the beach for the rogue alligator. On Thursday, Oct. 6, the wardens spotted the alligator on the shoreline in the same general area of the initial sighting. They then requested the experienced help from the staff of the SPI Birding Nature Center & Alligator Sanctuary (SPIBNC&AS), who hold TPWD permits to rescue nuisance alligators and have helped the wardens in the past.
The rescuers arrived quickly with their tools ready. Catching nuisance alligators can prove difficult and usually takes a good amount of time, but this rescue was one of the easiest they have managed and took only a few minutes.
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