Huge gator gets ‘into trouble’ behind Texas home during breeding season, rescuers say

It’s “peak breeding season” for American alligators — meaning gators are on the prowl as they search for a mate, according to a Texas nonprofit.

This also means some alligators — the dominant males — begin wandering to ensure no rival gators are on their territory.

“Sometimes these roaming gators can get into trouble as they can end up in odd places and may become problematic for landowners,” South Padre Island Birding Nature & Alligator Sanctuary said in a May 6 Facebook post.

That was the case for one 10.5-foot male alligator who was “found stuck in a drainage ditch” behind a home in Bayview, the organization said.

Texas game wardens and staff with the nonprofit were recently called to help remove the nuisance alligator.

Photos show a team of people working to restrain the reptile after it was captured. Another photo shows the giant alligator’s tied-up foot compared to a human hand.

“The huge alligator was caught safely and since it didn’t show any signs of having been fed by people and being spoiled, it was relocated and released back into the wild on the edge of a vast wetland deep in the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge,” rescuers said. “We are happy that the gator was released unharmed and for the trust of our local game wardens.”

The refuge is about 10 miles north of Bayview in southern Texas, close to South Padre Island.

This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 6:24 PM with the headline "Huge gator gets ‘into trouble’ behind Texas home during breeding season, rescuers say."