On Monday, June 3, a 12-foot long alligator was successfully removed from a drainage ditch along Eagle Drive in Mont Belvieu.
The resilient reptile was first spotted by an Mont Belvieu Police Department officer during a routine patrol, according to Brian Ligon, communications director for the City of Mont Belvieu.
It was found in the drainage ditch on the east side of Eagle Drive, north of FM 565, adjacent to the sidewalk bordering the new Riceland Subdivision.
Authorities are investigating the alligator’s origin, considering the presence of a larger and deeper canal almost directly across Eagle Drive from the location.
While alligator sightings are not uncommon in Mont Belvieu, encountering one of such considerable size in a populated area is rare.
The City of Mont Belvieu typically handles around ten nuisance alligator reports annually, but capturing an alligator of this magnitude in a residential area is an oddity.
Animal control and public works personnel collaborated to safely remove the alligator from the public right of way. The creature was then handed over to the Texas game warden from Texas Parks and Wildlife.