It's No Croc!

Gator found in south Odessa
September 10, 2010 5:44 PM
ODESSA AMERICAN
A 10-foot alligator found on private land south of Odessa is awaiting transport to an alligator farm in Beaumont.

Details are scarce on the great gator caper because officials just don’t want to talk about it. Odessa’s animal control and police department declined comment. Midland’s branch of the Texas Parks and Wildlife officials didn’t want to discuss it either.

A lot of silence for a trapped alligator not really common in these parts.

After hours of unsuccessful attempts to break the case of the Odessa gator success came when Texas Parks and Wildlife Austin branch chief Tom Harvey confirmed that a private rancher reported the alligator as a nuisance complaint.

Harvey said the alligator was captured and put inside a stock tank on the ranch. Local Parks and Wildlife game wardens are in the process of relocating the animal to the aforementioned Beaumont alligator farm.

Thus far no comment from the gator, but people have had plenty to say about the pesky visitor on the rumor mill this week all over town. Making the e-mail rounds are several photos of the alligator in action, taken by an unknown person the afternoon of Aug. 29, according to the file data.  (Check out the photographer's nature photos on Facebook while you're at it. - DK)

Unofficial sources said the alligator was found near the Monahans Draw, but Odessa Police Department and local Parks and Wildlife officials could not — or at least would not — confirm.

The rancher requested anonymity to prevent the public from attempting to kill or capture the alligator themselves, Harvey said.

Parks and Wildlife officials do not know how the animal found its way onto the private land.

Harvey said that the size of the alligator is uncommon for the Odessa-Midland area, but alligators can occasionally be found in certain bodies of water in the area.