My daughter and I frequently walk the trails at Oyster Creek Park in Sugar Land, Texas. Today we saw our first alligator there.
We knew there was the possibility of encountering an alligator in Sugar Land. There are many creeks, lakes and bayous that run through the city. As a matter of fact, there is a large lake directly in front of our house and more than one alligator has been found in it. There are signs all through Oyster Creek Park that explain what to do if you encounter an alligator so we are well versed. We are always alert while walking because we have seen snakes in the park before. There are lots of rabbits and raccoons also.
As you enter the park from the parking lot there is a wooden bridge that crosses the creek. People frequently bring bread to feed the hundreds of very large turtles there. As my daughter and I started to cross the bridge this evening there was a lady throwing bread into the water. There were about 100 or more turtles swarming around the bread. Right in the midst of the turtles was an alligator head, and his body was submerged underneath the surface of the water. He wasn’t a baby, but he was young and wasn’t very large yet. He was probably about six feet long.
We stood there on the bridge and watched the alligator for about five minutes. He just stayed there with all the turtles, not bothered at all by the people who stopped to gawk at him. I told the lady standing beside me that we had been going to the park for over a year and this was our first time to see an alligator there. She said she had only been to the park once, this past Monday being her first time, and she saw one then. It is mating season and I think they are more active and more aggressive this time of year.
I’m afraid we may encounter one in our front yard one day as they alternate between the water and the banks to control their body temperature.
We didn’t have our camera with us today so we missed getting a picture, but we plan to take it with us next time. It is not too unusual to see an alligator in Sugar Land. They do live here among us, and the ones in our county average 12 to 13 feet in length.
My daughter and I have a joke. The signs warning to watch for an alligator say that if you encounter one and it hisses or growls you are to walk slowly backwards and you shouldn’t run. Then it says if you do run you should zig-zag because an alligator can run up to 20 miles per hour for short distances but they cannot zig-zag. I have always that walking backwards it not an option for me because I’m going to run. My daughter always tells me when we’re walking the trails, “Don’t forget, Mom, ZIG-ZAG!
