Alligators Sighted Near Dallas, Texas

I've lived in Texas half my life now, and I've witnessed the phenomenal growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the last 25 years. I've seen business and housing developments encroaching on areas that are remnants of wild, undeveloped areas and buffer zones around parks and nature preserves. For a few years, people were highly skeptical of my reports of alligator sightings in DFW; and since I had no unequivocal photographic proof, I had to agree that it seemed like the stuff of urban legend.

Recently though, about two miles as the crow flies from my house, an alligator was videotaped by a Reid Weatherford, a resident of Rockwall, TX, (and also later by a police officer), in Lake Ray Hubbard. ( See Reid's video here )

I had seen alligators and alligator sign directly north of that sighting, deep in the Rowlett Creek Preserve along the marshy creek beds. These areas are difficult to penetrate, overgrown with thorny vines, poison ivy and thick brush. I usually avoid these areas in the summer, but in mid winter when the vegetation is thin, I will sometimes venture into the middle of the thicket. I've never run across another person when deep in these areas; there are no hunters since they are banned from the preserve.

This year (2007) was especially rainy in Texas, with considerable flooding in this area. It is possible that the gator was flushed out of it's normal habitat by the torrential rains. Lake Ray Hubbard is an artificial lake, but the alligators were here in the Trinity River Basin long, long before the lake's creation. In the previous years we experienced severe drought conditions. During that period, the marshes shrank considerably, and I could walk back into former swampland on firm, dry ground. That made it easy to find the "gator wallows". Alligators will dig out pockets in the swamps and river beds during dry spells. Sometimes a fairly small, but deep pond is home to an alligator. A drag track through the grass or reeds is a good indication a gator is there, or was recently. Often it is possible to see their footprints in the muddy embankments. I don't recommend investigating too closely.

According to hunting statistics kept by Texas Parks and Wildlife, the average Texas Alligator is about seven feet long, weighing about 60 pounds. The videotaped Lake Ray Hubbard gator was possibly ten feet or so and could weigh up to 150 pounds. That estimate corresponds to the gator holes I saw, and the fleeting glimpses I caught of alligators diving into the creek. I have seen similar sign in the nearby Spring Creek Preserve in North Garland, TX. When I lived in Cedar Hill, TX, I spotted an alligator swimming in Joe Pool Lake, in Cedar Hill State Park. There are also reported sightings of a gator in Lake Tawakoni, 50 miles east of Dallas. (Where I took the kids for a swim last weekend.)

People from all over the United States and Mexico are migrating into Texas in unprecedented numbers, and many are unaware that alligators are native to this part of Texas. Many new housing developments now encroach on gator territory, and pets and toddlers are especially vulnerable to alligator attack. Gators are somewhat rare in these parts and far less dangerous or numerous than the stray pit bulls and rottwielers I've run across, but they are here, so keep your eyes open and take reasonable precautions. Keep pets in safe enclosures if your property fronts waters adjacent to wild areas. Always supervise children around lakes, creeks and rivers. Never feed alligators or leave food out where they can easily reach it. Alligators are creatures of habit, and they will be back looking for more. Stay aware, stay alert and stay safe! Pass it on...

Sources:
LaKisha Ladson and Associated Press. "Alligators More Common Than You Think" Dallas Morning News, Friday May 19th, 2006.