By ALEXANDREA BAILEY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
An alligator spotted on the surfside of South Padre Island [SPI] was recently rescued and relocated.
The rescue was a team effort between the Shoreline Department, SPI Police Department, the Cameron County Park Ranger Division and the SPI Birding Nature Center and Alligator Sanctuary’s (SPIBNCAS) Gator Rescue team.
According to Jacob Reinbolt, herpetologist and member of the Gator Rescue team, this specific alligator was spotted and reported three or four times in the last month after Tropical Storm Alberto on June 19. He believes rising
flood waters caused by the storm are behind the alligator’s appearance on surfside.
Reinbolt said there were concerns for the alligator’s health, as alligators are not tolerant to salt water for extended periods, as well as concerns for beachgoers.
Despite the team surveying the area where the alligator was spotted, Gator Rescue had trouble locating it as many of the reports were called in after the witness lost sight of the alligator.
“What we really needed was someone to see him and call us immediately while they were actually looking at him,” said Reinbolt.
Around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, July 2, a part-time summer employee of the SPI Shoreline Task Force spotted the alligator on the beach outside of Clayton’s Beach Bar and Grill. Jeremy Christenson, Shoreline
Department Equipment Operator, was alerted and arrived at the scene. That’s when the alligator scurried back into the water. Christenson alerted the SPIPD. Officers were dispatched to the scene and the unit tracked the alligator as it traveled north until it crossed county lines. Cameron County Park Rangers Leonardo Aguilar and Noe Cortez were dispatched to the scene and continued to trail the alligator north near County Beach Access Five.
Reinbolt arrived on the scene that afternoon, where a large crowd of spectators had gathered. He says it was a simple catch. Reinbolt confirmed this alligator was the same one reported multiple times last month based on its size and markings.
Oftentimes, alligators can lose their eyesight after spending extended periods in saltwater, but Reinbolt says this alligator did not show any signs of blindness.
According to Reinbolt, after a brief stay at SPIBNCAS, the almost five-foot-long alligator was relocated to an undisclosed area, to prevent any persons attempting to “pester” or “bother” the alligator. Alligators are
only relocated to the sanctuary permanently if they are experiencing health issues or are deemed a “nuisance alligator.”
“Wild alligators get to stay wild alligators,” said Reinbolt.
Nuisance alligators are alligators that have been fed by humans, destroying the reptile’s natural fear of people. According to Reinbolt, this causes alligators to identify people as a food source, and this is when issues can arise. If it wasn’t for SPIBNCAS, most nuisance alligators in the lower Rio Grande Valley would be met with a bullet, rather than sanctuary, says Reinbolt.
In the last week, posts of a seven-to-eight-foot-long alligator in the Laguna Madre Bay have circulated on Facebook. Reinbolt says this alligator does not need to be relocated.
“The alligators on the bayside survive off freshwater which is provided by the water treatment plant located next to the birding center,” stated Reinbolt.
Reinbolt says Island visitors and residents “absolutely do not” need to be concerned for their safety regarding this alligator.
“This alligator in particular tends to travel between the convention center and Sea Turtle Inc. All of us staff between these businesses are very familiar with this alligator. He’s been here for much longer than people
think,” said Reinbolt.
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