Children capture alligator roaming in San Antonio neighborhood - woai.com

7 April 2011

It was a scary situation for a group of kids playing along a creek behind their home on the Northwest Side Thursday afternoon. The children found an alligator. The alligator is only a few months old, but investigators say it caused a big scare for neighbors near Fredericksburg and Mulberry Streets.

Jacob, Anthony and Ryan Villalobos are the kids who say they found the alligator in a creek between their home and Oak Farms Dairy company. The creek leads into the nearby San Antonio River.

"I went to go tell my mom," said Jacob Villalobos. "She didn't believe me, at first."

The boys say they were determined to do something, especially since they spotted the alligator once before earlier in the week.

"It was floating," said Ryan Villalobos. "We thought it was dead, but it started swimming."

The boys say they decided to act fast and reel in the reptile.

"We threw a piece of bacon on a fishing rod," said Jacob.

The kids say the baby alligator put up a big fight at first.

"I tried reeling it in, and it went underwater," said Ryan. "We waited a few hours and we went back down there."

The fishing rod worked to catch the alligator. The hook was still stuck in its mouth when Animal Care Services picked it up. The staff at Animal Care Services safely removed the wire from the alligator's mouth.

Investigators are now warning neighbors the coast may not be clear in the neighborhood.

"There's also traces of a family that's migrating from one end of Martinez River to the other," said Vincent Medley, Assistant Director of Animal Care Services.

Jacob, Anthony and Ryan admit they are a little nervous. However, they say they will be stuck on alligator watch for now.

The alligator will be turned over to the Game Warden. Investigators advise if you spot an alligator in your neighborhood, leave it alone, and call 311.