Heavy Rains Bring Out the Urban Alligators

Yes the gators are going to town.  The endless heavy rains in Houston last week brought the usual floods and mosquitoes, but nobody expected to see alligators just a short drive from downtown Houston.

The Houston Chronicle reports an eight food alligator turned up last week inside the Loop 610, in the Heights neighborhood.  A lady found it in her garage, across from historic Woodland Park near White Oak Bayou.

That's walking distance from downtown Houston.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game warden says he's not surprised.  He says finding gators that far inside the city limits is rare, but it happens, especially when it rains a lot.   "...the bayou becomes like a highway for gators... They will wander into garages, anywhere that is cool."

He says they often find gators cooling themselves on porches and in backyard swimming pools. They've even had calls to come get gators that got inside houses through the pet doors.

He says they trapped the Heights gator and released it back into its natural habitat far outside the city. And they all lived happily ever after, but you can bet that lady keeps her garage door closed now.

Ah yes. Life in the big city.