‘I saw his eyes’: Driver spots 11-foot alligator roaming in Missouri City neighborhood

MISSOURI CITY, Texas (KTRK) — Gator sightings are not uncommon in southeast Texas, so that’s why one neighbor who spotted the creature says he knew exactly what to do.

Cornealous Greigg Jr., a resident in the Quail Valley Thunderbird neighborhood, came across the lengthy gator Sunday morning while driving home in Missouri City.

He said the reptile was just a few houses down from where he lives and had to take a double look.

“I saw his eyes. I didn’t see him, I saw his eyes. So, it made me do a U-turn, and then when I did the U-turn, I drove slow, and then I saw him,” Greigg said.

He told ABC13 he knew to stay in his car and to call the police, who came and kept an eye on the scene until a trapper arrived about an hour later.

Within that time frame, Greigg says the gator only moved about three yards.

Greigg snapped photos and videos of the gator and shared them with Eyewitness News. One video shows the gator being hoisted up after the capture, which took about three hours to complete.

The lengthy detainment wasn’t because the reptile put up a fight. Crews said the gator was actually pretty calm and not aggressive. But they had to call a wrecker truck to help haul the 85-year-old critter, which weighs more than 1,000 pounds and stretches out more than 11 feet.

Officials told Eyewitness News that the gator would be taken to Gator Country Rescue Park.

This time of the year is normally mating season for gators. Males begin to get territorial and start wandering around, leading to more sightings.

Greigg has lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years and has seen about seven gators. He told ABC13 he spotted another one in his pool last month, although it was only half the size.

According to The Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas has seen a rapid repopulation of alligators during the past 20 years due to legal protection, enhanced habitat conditions, and new water impoundment projects.

“To complicate matters, an ever-expanding human population continues to encroach upon the alligator’s domain. These factors contribute to increased encounters between alligators and people,” according to the organization.

They say most southeast Texans will live near these native reptiles with no confrontations.

If you see an alligator, The Texas Parks & Wildlife advises you to notify authorities and not to attempt to move it yourself or try to feed the reptile.

See The Texas Parks & Wildlife’s full list of “dos and don’ts” if you encounter a creepy critter.

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