Measuring 11.5 feet in length, a massive alligator that was clipped by a transport truck caused a traffic shut-down on U.S. Highway 59 in southeast Texas on Monday, April 30. That’s when authorities received some assistance from a local cowboy after they put the call out for a wildlife wrangler.
According to local media reports, the reptile was hit by the 18-wheeler just past midnight going into Monday morning, near Cleveland. By the time Chance Ward from Tarkington had arrived on the scene, it was visibly upset and not in the mood for introductions. In an interview with the Houston Chronicle, Ward said, “He would rise up and hiss at them anytime someone would get close.”
Ward stepped in and lassoed the alligator, which took six men to load into the back of his pickup. He then posted to his Facebook page that the alligator (christened “George” during the incident) was released by noon into a nearby lake, saying, “The closest major highway is over 20 miles away. Let’s hope he finds him a pretty lady and stays.”
