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A more than eight-foot-long alligator was caught on the side of U.S. 59 near Cleveland Wednesday.
But he didn’t go along peacefully.
André Coetzee, the owner of state-licensed animal control company Wilderness Animal Control, told Chron.com he and his crew set out to capture the gator after receiving a call from the Texas Game Wardens
After arriving at the scene at 8:30 a.m., Coetzee said he put a plastic-coated steel cable noose around the neck of the male alligator, which measured 8 feet and 7 inches and weighed approximately 170 pounds.
“I pulled it in myself but it took three of us to pin him down,” Coetzee said.
About 15 seconds into the video, you can see a gator wrangler sitting on the reptile. That’s when the wily animal used the patented gator death roll to throw-off the man. Fortunately, he did not appear to be hurt.
A fourth person was needed to assist with the holding the alligator while Coetzee used electrical tape to close the animal’s mouth shut, he said.
WILD TEXAS: Which counties have the most exotic animals? Find out on HoustonChronicle.com.
The alligator was transported in Coetzee’s truck to a nearby marsh, where it was released.
Coetzee said this is the second alligator they’ve captured this week, and the fourth so far this year.
The reason for the increase in sightings, he said, is two-fold: recent weather conditions and alligator mating season.
“With all the rain, we’re getting these calls daily,” Coetzee said. “It’s also mating season, so the males are moving around a lot to find mates.
“Since there is water everywhere, they don’t have to travel far to get from one puddle to another.”