Texas alligators fleeing flood water, ‘get pushed up into peoples’ yards’

Published 12:34 pm Sunday, August 27, 2017

AUSTIN – Humans aren’t the only Southeast Texas residents fleeing Harvey, looking for higher ground.

Alligators are on the move, too.

“Gator” Chris Stephens, who with a partner runs the Gator Squad, said that while the reptiles can swim powerfully in short bursts, rain-filled creeks, drainage ditches and other fast-moving waterways are pushing them from their usual haunts.

Gators and flooding advice via @txgatorsquad: Expect them to be displaced. Simply looking for higher ground. Leave alone until water recedes pic.twitter.com/nN1B5jvMyV

— FBCSO Texas (@FBCSO) August 24, 2017

The not-for-profit organization’s mission “is to provide nuisance control services for residents and associations” and specializes in “alligator live capture,” according to its Facebook page.

“Everything’s swole up; it’s got to flee,” said Stephens, who lives in Brazoria County, adjacent to Harris County and Houston. “They get pushed up into peoples’ yards.”

Stephens lives near 44,000-acre Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, home to countless alligators.

His partner in adjacent Fort Bend County has relocated two or three gators, each three to five feet long, since Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday.

Stephens said the area has received 20 inches of rain over the weekend, with more to come.

“We’re a week to a month till water starts coming down from some of these areas,” Stephens said. “Everything’s backed up from the Gulf.”

That means the gators won’t be going home for a while.

“These animals are stressed,” Stephens said. “They’re just trying to escape.”

John Austin covers the Texas Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach him at jaustin@cnhi.com.