ATASCOCITA, Texas (KTRK) — See you later, alligator! That’s the message Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office had for a 12-foot alligator they removed from an Atascocita neighborhood Monday morning, according to Constable Mark Herman.
Precinct 4 deputies responded to the 13800 block of North Lake Branch Lane in the Waters Edge subdivision in Atascocita after reports of a 12-foot alligator in the middle of the road.
The alligator was safely captured and is now with animal control.
Pictures posted by Herman shows the alligator coming out from underneath a truck parked on the street.
Just last week, there was another alligator sighting and capture in a Cinco Ranch subdivision. That one measured in at 11 feet.
Michael Schwab took video of the gator being lifted off the ground by a tow truck.
“It was a sight to see,” Schwab said. “He was thrashing around. He looked tired, but it was beginning stages of them removing him, and it was probably one of the craziest things I’ve seen animal wise.”
Schwab said the gator looked like a dinosaur.
SEE RELATED STORY: Video shows massive alligator strolling through Cinco Ranch subdivision
Gator sightings don’t end there. Two Missouri City residents found alligators on their porches in the past several weeks. One of those was wrangled single-handedly by a local restaurant owner after he dropped his kids off at school.
Texas Parks and Wildlife said they are not seeing a boom in the gator population. The recent sightings have caught a lot of attention, which they said may make it seem like something is up with the gators.
Stefan Kuhlman with Urban Jungle Wildlife Removal said there are several factors that may be leading to the gator sightings.
First, he said they are most active in the spring and summer times because of the heat.
Second, he said the weather affects them. During the drought earlier this summer, gators were in search of water. During the recent rain events, Kuhlman said they search of higher ground.
“Some is just habitat loss,” Kuhlman said. “We are encroaching on their habitat. They have less places to go where there aren’t people. As new subdivisions are built out, alligators were already there and they aren’t just going to move away.”
SEE ALSO: Missouri City restaurant owner wrangles alligator spotted on front porch while taking kids to school
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