Local News

Alligator Spotted by a Kayaker in the Guadalupe River

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Neil Griffin was out for a lazy river kayaking session when he spotted something alarming in the Guadalupe River: an alligator.

Thankful he wasn’t floating in a tube that day, Griffin took to social media to show off pictures of the alligator lurking in the trees during his kayaking experience in the Hill Country.

He told the San Antonio-Express News that “it kind of took [his] eyes a second to focus,” when he realized, “I’m looking at an alligator.” He was kayaking near the Spring Branch section of the river. The photos that follow are eery.

Though we don’t hear stories like this every day, a Texas Parks and Wildlife scientist, Andrew Gluesenkamp told the news outlet that “while it’s pretty rare, it’s not like sighting a chupacabra,” as alligators are definitely more common in other sections of the Guadalupe River.

However, Gluesenkamp also believes that the alligator was a pet that someone probably released upstream illegally as it is rare to find one in that section of the river.

If you’re planning a trip to tube sometime soon, just keep this recent sighting in mind. We hear alligators love to snack on rubber tubes – only kidding! Or are we?