Horrified holidaymaker films alligator lurking in the shore on popular beach
While gators are fairly common in Texas, one surprised beachgoers when it swam up on shore and decided to lounge around in the sun, causing all the visitors to flee quickly.
The National Park's PR team posted the video and pics to Facebook, where they reminded visitors that it's important to give wildlife plenty of space. "Texas is known for having alligators, but #mustangislandstatepark? Not so much. This little gator (estimated 2 feet long) may not seem like much of a threat."
"However, 'leave no trace; principle 6 is to respect the wildlife. Feeding alligators habituates them to human presence and they can quickly become a nuisance. Being this far away from fresh/brackish water is not ideal for the freshwater-loving American alligator but this one is still healthy enough to scamper back to the water," said the Facebook statement.
Beachgoers in Texas were shocked when an alligator swam up on shore (Facebook/Mustang Island State Park - Texas Parks and Wildlife)As Mustang Island State Park receives millions of visitors yearly, users online had plenty to say about the incident. One wrote, "He just trying to get that last summer beach trip in..." Another user said, "I was just there last week, and I am so glad we did not meet each other."
One user asked if the park is safe or if they should also expect to see an alligator on their visit, but reps for the park wrote back to say that they're keeping an eye out and haven't seen this particular gator since he swam up on shore.
Alligator spotted with jaws taped shut and struggling before being rescued
While Texas sees plenty of gators, most of the fatal alligator attacks in the US happen in Florida. Just a few weeks ago, Sabrina Peckham, 41, was identified by police after a passer-by made the shocking discovery in Pinellas County, Florida. A formal cause of death is still to be determined by the coroner, however the reptile reportedly dragged her body into the canal before killing her.
Peckham, reported to have been homeless at the time of her death, was arrested for trespassing onto county wetland on July 14. The arrest was made just half a mile from where she was found dead on Friday. Peckham's daughter, Breauna Dorris, has now defending her mum saying she was likely attacked by the gator as she was walking to her homeless camp in darkness - saying she would not have taunted to engaged with the animal.
But now, alligators are also showing up in areas where they're not normally seen. Officials were shocked to discover an alligator roaming the mountains as more and more gators push their way into heavily populated areas not used to living with the killer beasts.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency posted photos on Facebook Tuesday showing two of their wildlife officers with the not-so-large beast that they had caught in the state's Appalachian Mountain range, as the sharp-toothed reptiles begin to expand their territory and move into the state from the southern states in America.
According to the post, Wildlife Officers Hunter Poore and Colt Elrod trapped the alligator in Rhea County and transported the reptile to the Chattanooga Zoo. Photos show the pair putting the alligator in a cage after measuring it. They did not list how big the alligator was in the post.
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