THE FACTS (Clute, Texas) 19 April 08 9 1/2-foot reptile taken to wildlife refuge (Nathaniel Lukefahr)
Lake Jackson: The sunbather found near Oyster Creek around lunchtime does not have to worry about getting dry, cracked skin from too much time in the sun. But he is unlikely to get much of a tan, either.
Residents noticed an almost 9 1/2-foot reptile soaking up some rays on the sidewalk in the 200 block of Huckleberry Drive at 12:21 p.m. Thursday, Lake Jackson Humane Control Officer Kelli Jones said. The alligator didn’t lunge at any residents and it wasn’t agitated.
“He was just sunbathing on the sidewalk,” Jones said. “He was just hanging out. He didn’t hurt anyone.”
Jones, along with other humane officers, Lake Jackson police officers, Brazoria County Game Warden Jason Richards and members of Gulf Coast Wildlife Rescue, walked up to the alligator and tossed a rope around its neck, Jones said.
Officials then waited for the alligator to wrap himself up before they tied its legs together and mouth shut. The whole process took a little more than an hour, Jones said.
Humane control officers took the alligator at 1:58 p.m. to Crocodile Encounter, a wildlife refuge in Angleton that takes in crocodiles and alligators, Jones said.
The alligator’s appearance brought out many area residents, Jones said. In all, she said about 40 people were watching from safe distances.
“There was a huge crowd,” she said. “It was like everyone in Lake Jackson was out there.”
The alligator could be the same one that crept along Live Oak Lane last week but evaded authorities, Jones said.
“He had been sunbathing in people’s yards,” Jones said.
The alligator looks to be about 15 years old, said Chris Dieter, owner of the wildlife refuge. That is young for the reptile.
“They can live to be about 100 years old,” Dieter said. “If you look at his teeth, they are not very worn down. They are teeth of a young alligator.”
The wildlife refuge took the alligator off the humane officers hands because it is licensed to have about 15 on its property, Dieter said.
“He’ll be well fed and is now resting comfortably in the pool,” Dieter said.
9 1/2-foot reptile taken to wildlife refuge