They were giving away baby alligators after church on Sunday, at Brazos Bend State Park about 20 miles south of here. Well, OK not really, but you could “pet” them as long as you kept your fingers away from their snouts. The babies croaked as they were being handled by park rangers, and the sound set off maternal instinct alarms in at least two adult gators, who swam right on up to see whether something needed chomping.
We have been fortunate enough not to see hide nor scale of any alligators on our stretch of the Brazos River, however, dozens if not hundreds live within the park’s borders, also on the Brazos, and gators have been spotted upstream, too. Which is why, if anybody falls in the water out back, they tend to swim really fast. Because you never know.
“Our” gators most likely aren’t as big as their Florida cousins. Still, we saw four that appeared to range between 9 and 11 feet, giving credence to park signs advising people that if they must bring their dogs along, they definitely should be leashed or run the risk of conversion into doggy treats – and not the kind you buy at the pet store.
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9-11 feet! That’s a big gator.