You'll probably be seeing more gators in the Houston area over the next few months
This week a child walking to a piano lesson in a Missouri City neighborhood discovered a six-foot alligator lounging the front yard of a home. Luckily the child that encountered the gator wasn't hurt in the incident.
Quickly Missouri City police and local animal control were called out to investigate before game wardens with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ended up removing and relocating the gator to the El Campo area, specifically to Janik Alligator Farm, just south of town.
This gator encounter means it's a good time to remind Texans that since late spring through summer is traditionally alligator mating and nesting season, gators will be more active and visible, and in turn the chances for human interaction are higher.
Capt. Fred Ruiz with the wildlife department's Harris County office says gator and human interaction is a common occurrence this time of year as temperatures heat up.
"During spring the males move around looking for mates and the females are looking for places to nest," Ruiz says. "They are animals, all they do is breed and eat."
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife biologists and game wardens stress each year that education rather than over-reaction is key when it comes interacting with gators. The department would prefer the "live and let live" approach whenever possible. With neighborhood development encroaching on habitats, the reptiles may find themselves thrust into interactions with humans as they venture out of retention ponds or drainage ditches.
When it comes to gators, Ruiz says that size matters.
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