Current:Home > Contact'Look how big it is!': Watch as alligator pursues screaming children in Texas -VisionFunds
'Look how big it is!': Watch as alligator pursues screaming children in Texas
View
Date:2025-04-18 03:42:34
If you plan to take a dip in Texas, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for unwanted guests.
Video obtained by USA TODAY on Thursday caught the moment a large alligator appeared to pursue a group of children swimming in Raven Lake in Huntsville, Texas, about an hour north of Houston.
Watch the video below to see a large alligator swimming after a group of children in Texas.
The video, which was taken over the weekend, begins by showing the gator hanging out near a group of kids playing in the water. Terror ensues when the gator starts moving directly toward them.
"Look how big it is!" one man is heard saying as the children scream.
Rogue Jersey gator caught:Video shows police capture 'at-large' alligator after a 2-week chase in New Jersey
'We were just in awe':Massive 920-pound alligator caught in Central Florida
Quick-thinking man deters alligator
The video shows panicked parents race toward the screaming children. During the commotion, another child jumps into the water from a platform farther off the beach, momentarily grabbing the reptile's attention.
One quick-thinking man grabs hold of a nearby rope in the water and begins shaking it, apparently entangling the predator as it splashes around. By the time the roughly 10-foot gator frees itself, the children had reached the shore.
"The gator was definitely aiming for (one child)," David Siljeg, who captured the cellphone video, told KRIV-TV in Houston. "It was like a movie scene, but real."
Because the gator was still lurking close to shore afterward, a local sheriff's deputy arrived and closed off the beach.
Signs warn visitors about alligators
Multiple signs around the lake warn visitors about alligators in the area, according to KRIV-TV.
Earlier this summer, there was a similar incident in which swimmers became stuck on the dock after a gator got between them and the shore and had to be rescued.
"I’ve watched ‘Jaws’ multiple times, (this) kind of triggered those feelings," Siljeg told the outlet.
This man feeds 10,00 crocodiles daily:Watch brave farmer feed 10,000 hungry crocodiles fresh meat every day
Gator safety
For those living in alligator territory, experts at Gator World Parks suggest a few tips for keeping safe around the prehistoric creatures.
- Do not approach a gator. Stay at least 30 feet back and back away even farther if they begin to hiss at or move toward you. Do not assume they can’t catch you if you run: American alligators can move up to 30 mph on land in short bursts.
- Know when and where gators like to hang out. They are most active between dusk and dawn and prefer sunbathing along water banks during the day. Avoid swimming or hanging around such locations and at those times.
- Do not fish near alligators and move away from a fishing spot if one approaches. Do not ever feed gators. Dispose of leftover scraps from fish, bait and food in proper containers and do not throw them back into the water or leave them near the water's edge.
- Do not allow pets or children to swim in, drink from or approach bodies of water known to have alligators present. If you live in an area with a lot of gator activity, take precautions such as monitoring pets when they are outside or building fences at least 4 1/2 feet tall.
- Avoid locations near bodies of water that may be nests. Female alligators will become abnormally aggressive to protect them. Keep an eye out for collections of twigs, grass, and disturbed soil, and steer clear if you see them.
veryGood! (615)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Hawaii can ban guns on beaches, an appeals court says
- The former Uvalde schools police chief asks a judge to throw out the charges against him
- A US mother accused of killing 2 of her children fights extradition in London
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Kourtney Kardashian Shares Sweet Family Photos of Sons Rocky and Reign
- Man arrested in the 1993 cold case killing of 19-year-old Carmen Van Huss
- Jessica Pegula will meet Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open women’s final Saturday
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Abortion rights supporters in South Dakota blast state’s video of abortion laws
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Nigerian brothers get 17 years for sextortion that led to Michigan teen's death
- How to talk with kids about school shootings and other traumatic events
- The Chiefs got lucky against the Ravens. They still look like champions.
- Sam Taylor
- Montana Gov. Gianforte’s foundation has given away $57 million since 2017. Here’s where it went.
- Brenda Song Reveals Why Macaulay Culkin Romance Works So Well
- Rumor Has It, Behr’s New 2025 Color of the Year Pairs Perfectly With These Home Decor Finds Under $50
Recommendation
How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
All the best movies at Toronto Film Festival, ranked (including 'The Substance')
Beyoncé and Jay-Z Put in Their Love on Top in Rare Birthday Vacation Photos
A Georgia fire battalion chief is killed battling a tractor-trailer blaze
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
House case: It's not men vs. women, it's the NCAA vs. the free market
Why Ben Affleck Is Skipping Premiere for His and Jennifer Lopez’s Movie Amid Divorce
Olympian Tara Davis-Woodhall Reacts to Husband Hunter Woodhall's Gold Medal Win at Paris Paralympic Games