A 9-foot alligator was shot and killed by a game warden on the outskirts of San Antonio because the reptile appeared to have lost its fear of humans, authorities said. Several 911 calls alerted police to an alligator in an area near a lake and an apartment complex, police said. When the game warden arrived early Thursday, the gator had crawled off the road near a ditch. Continue reading Game warden kills 9-foot alligator in San Antonio
The Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located west of Freeport near Jones Creek in Brazoria County. The Area has 10,311 acres which were purchased using waterfowl stamp funds from 1985 to 1987. In 1988, an additional 1,627 acres were acquired as mitigation from the Brazos River Harbor District. Justin Hurst WMA is a part of the Central Coast Wetlands Ecosystem Project (Central Coast Wetlands Ecosystem Project (CCWEP). The CCWEP’s mission is to provide for sound biological conservation of all wildlife resources within the central coast of Texas for the public’s common benefit. Continue reading About Justin Hurst Wildlife Management Area
An angler looking to bring home some catfish for dinner was a bit freaked out when he reeled in a fish that flashed its “grill” and bit his knife. Jerry Melton, 46, was fishing in the Catawba River last week when he caught what state wildlife officials later identified as a piranha, a South American carnivorous fish that lives in freshwater. Continue reading Angler Catches Piranha in North Carolina River
An empty can of gourmet dog food taken from Paris Hilton’s trash fetched $305 in an eBay auction. The sellers were from the Web site HollywoodStarTrash.com, which also listed several other Hilton items for sale on eBay. A used toothbrush sold for $305; two envelopes sent to her while she was in jail sold for $510; and a Coke can pulled from her trash went for $51. Continue reading Dog-food Can Found in Paris Hilton’s Garbage – $305
A baby gorilla from a German zoo was treated at a children’s clinic after her mother’s neglect left her dangerously dehydrated, zoo officials said. Six-week-old Mary Two, who also was suffering from hypothermia, was admitted to the intensive care unit at the University of Muenster’s clinic on Saturday and discharged a day later. Continue reading Gorilla Baby in Hospital After Mother Rejects Her
In 1967, there were fewer than 500 breeding pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states. The national bird was in danger of disappearing from much of the United States. Though the eagles were never in danger of extinction—the vast majority, over 100,000, were in Alaska and Canada—Americans understandably wanted to protect a national symbol. Continue reading Bald Eagle Delisted from Endangered Species Act
Why did the alligator cross the road? Perhaps he was looking for a mate, according to a state wildlife biologist.
An 8-foot alligator lying on a Bell County farm-to-market road got the attention of a traveler early Thursday morning. “A passerby called it in as an animal in the road,” Bell County Sheriff Lt. David Wical said.
When deputies responded to the intersection of FM 436 and FM 1123 about 2:20 a.m. they found a large alligator estimated to be between 8 and 8½ feet long and weighing about 200 pounds next to the road. After contacting the local Texas Parks and Wildlife Department office, the deputies were advised to try to capture the animal, but if it became vicious to destroy it.
“It was a safety issue,” said Jimmy Lewing, sheriff’s office spokesman, said about the gator that was about a mile west of the Lampasas River. “When they got there it was right off the roadway.”
Two Bell County deputies and two Salado officers worked together to get a rope around the alligator to capture it but failed after numerous attempts. The on-scene supervisor then made a decision to shoot the alligator because of officer and public safety, according to Wical.
Since the alligator was on a state-maintained highway, Texas Department of Transportation maintenance employees were called to remove the animal. “We picked it up, hauled it away and buried it,” Ken Roberts, TxDOT spokesman, said. “We pick up deer, cows, horses and dogs, and that’s what we do.”
An alligator, Roberts admitted, is unusual for them to remove. “It’s probably the strangest thing we’ve picked up in a long time,” he said. The maintenance employees weren’t surprised by the find, Roberts said. “They said there’s gators in the streams and rivers,” he said.
Derrick Wolter, a Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist, concurred. He said there have been reports of alligators in Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir. “I don’t know if they’re illegal pets that someone let loose or naturally occurring,” he said. He estimated the alligator to be between 10 and 12 years old because of its size.
Between 250,000 and 300,000 wild alligators live in Texas, most of those east of Interstate 45, Wolter said. For alligators, May is the breeding season, which could still be occurring in early June.
“My guess is it was a male alligator looking around,” he said.