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Texas Game Warden Injured by Alligator

Texas may not seem like suitable alligator habitat to those that don’t know much about our State, but Texas residents know that we have plenty of these large reptiles—over 250,000 to be exact. Alligators, not unlike other animals, can cause serious problems, especially because of their size, powerful jaws, and numerous teeth. Refugio County-based Game Warden Raul “Pinky” Gonzales found out the hard way. No wonder Texas has a well-regulated alligator hunting season in place for these prehistoric lizards.

Game Warden Gonzales is recovering this week from injuries suffered in a struggle with an 8-foot, 9-inch alligator. The incident began on Friday, April 2, when Gonzales responded to a call about an alligator on FM 136 just south of Woodsboro. He arrived to find the big ‘gator in the middle of the road. Attempting to relocate the animal, the warden got on top of it and began to tape its mouth. Although he has dealt with alligators for more than two decades and has never been injured, this time was different. The alligator swung its head and struck Gonzales squarely in the face, causing a severe cut to his upper lip, breaking a tooth, loosening another, and damaging his eyeglasses. Continue reading Texas Game Warden Injured by Alligator

Big South Carolina Alligator Harvested!

Most folks are afraid of alligators, but some people go out looking for them. In the United States, there is a limited hunting season for the American alligator. People look forward to this short season every year, and the hunting helps keep the number of gators down. Think we don’t have enough for an alligator hunting season? Well, think again. There are probably about one million alligators in the lower 48 states! Texas boast having over 250,000 of the large reptiles itself!

So with those kinds of numbers, regulated alligator hunting is more than warranted. Such was the case in South Carolina this year, where they also have a limited alligator season. The photos below were taken a few days ago at Cordrays meat processing and taxidermy in Charleston, South Carolina. This big male alligator was 14 feet long and weighed in at a whopping 1,000 pounds!

American alligators breed during May of each year and females build a nest of mostly grass with some mud in June. The eggs then hatch out in late summer, with the female remaining close to the nest to protect the vulnerable hatchlings. Male alligators, which can grow as large as the one featured above, will feed on anything than can catch, including smaller alligators.

Mississippi Alligator Hunting Applications

It’s hard to beat the excitement of an alligator hunting trip that results in a big bull gator, but before you can tag that prehistoric reptile you have got to get your application submitted if you plan on hunting in Mississippi. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks reminds gator hunters that there are hunting opportunities on both public waters and private lands in 2009.

This year there are two public waters zones open to limited alligator hunting opportunities, the Pearl River/Ross Barnett Zone near Jackson and the Pascagoula River Zone in Jackson County. As in past years, applications are limited to Mississippi residents 16 years of age or older. If you have been looking forward to chasing gators get your applications in as soon as possible. The public waters season application deadline is June 15. Continue reading Mississippi Alligator Hunting Applications

Alligator Hit By Car in Bell County

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.