Texas Woman Faces $1000 Fine for Raising Alligator as Pet for 20 Years at Home

A woman's backyard was where Texas Parks and Wildlife officials say she had been keeping a nearly 8-foot-long alligator as a pet for 20 years without the necessary permits.

Wildlife authorities claim that the woman stole an egg from New Braunfels' Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo and raised it until it grew into a 20-year-old alligator.

Joann Garza, a game warden, observed that the alligator was very friendly with the woman who raised it.

The woman, who lived in Buda, a suburb of Austin, said she had taken care of the alligator for more than 20 years and was very sorry to see it go.

American Alligators

From as far south as North Carolina to the Texas Gulf Coast, alligators can be found along the east coast of the United States. However, they occasionally manage to enter populated areas.

The American alligator is a sizable armored reptile, that is semi-aquatic and related to crocodiles. The length of their body alone varies from 6 to 14 feet. It is almost entirely covered in coarse scales, has prominent eyes and nostrils, and is nearly black in color. It has a huge, long head, and the edges of the jaws are visible upper teeth. Its rear feet have four webbed toes, compared to the five toes on its front feet, according to Texas Parks & Wildlife.

During each breeding season, each female typically produces between 30 and 70 eggs, depending on her age, size, and health. It is most possible to overlook a stolen egg as a result.

Alligators have long lived in Texas' marshes, ponds, swamps, rivers, and lakes, according to the City of Sugar Land. They play a significant role in the natural history of Texas and are essential to freshwater ecosystems. The possibility of more encounters between people and alligators exists as waterways are added to and developed. Despite being removed from the list of threatened species in 1978, alligators are still legally protected.

There are alligators in ten states, and in Texas, they can be found in 120 of the state's 254 counties.

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Alligator as Pet, $1000 Fine

In Texas, alligators are classified as protected game animals, making special permits necessary to hunt, raise, purchase, or own an alligator. They may be kept for commercial farming as well as for educational or research purposes, but the Texas Parks Department makes it clear that alligators should not be kept domesticated as pets.

The alligator, according to the keepers, was healthy and had been well-cared for; it had simply outgrown the area that the woman could provide. The woman will be fined $1000 for her infractions, Newsweek reports.

Another Alligator in Another City

A roughly 4-foot-long alligator, meanwhile, surfaced recently in New York City. On Sunday morning, the reptile was first spotted circling a lake in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. The animal was quickly rescued from the water after being spotted by park officials. Zoo staff from the Bronx Zoo are currently evaluating the alligator, Outdoors reports.