If you plan to take a dip in Texas, it might be a good idea to keep an eye out for unwanted guests.
Video obtained by USA TODAY on Thursday caught the moment a large alligator appeared to pursue a group of children swimming in Raven Lake in Huntsville, Texas, about an hour north of Houston.
The video, which was taken over the weekend, begins by showing the gator hanging out near a group of kids playing in the water. Terror ensues when the gator starts moving directly toward them.
“Look how big it is!” one man is heard saying as the children scream.
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Quick-thinking man deters alligator
The video shows panicked parents race toward the screaming children. During the commotion, another child jumps into the water from a platform farther off the beach, momentarily grabbing the reptile’s attention.
One quick-thinking man grabs hold of a nearby rope in the water and begins shaking it, apparently entangling the predator as it splashes around. By the time the roughly 10-foot gator frees itself, the children had reached the shore.
“The gator was definitely aiming for (one child),” David Siljeg, who captured the cellphone video, told KRIV-TV in Houston. “It was like a movie scene, but real.”
Because the gator was still lurking close to shore afterward, a local sheriff’s deputy arrived and closed off the beach.
Signs warn visitors about alligators
Multiple signs around the lake warn visitors about alligators in the area, according to KRIV-TV.
Earlier this summer, there was a similar incident in which swimmers became stuck on the dock after a gator got between them and the shore and had to be rescued.
“I’ve watched ‘Jaws’ multiple times, (this) kind of triggered those feelings,” Siljeg told the outlet.
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Gator safety
For those living in alligator territory, experts at Gator World Parks suggest a few tips for keeping safe around the prehistoric creatures.
- Do not approach a gator. Stay at least 30 feet back and back away even farther if they begin to hiss at or move toward you. Do not assume they can’t catch you if you run: American alligators can move up to 30 mph on land in short bursts.
- Know when and where gators like to hang out. They are most active between dusk and dawn and prefer sunbathing along water banks during the day. Avoid swimming or hanging around such locations and at those times.
- Do not fish near alligators and move away from a fishing spot if one approaches. Do not ever feed gators. Dispose of leftover scraps from fish, bait and food in proper containers and do not throw them back into the water or leave them near the water’s edge.
- Do not allow pets or children to swim in, drink from or approach bodies of water known to have alligators present. If you live in an area with a lot of gator activity, take precautions such as monitoring pets when they are outside or building fences at least 4 1/2 feet tall.
- Avoid locations near bodies of water that may be nests. Female alligators will become abnormally aggressive to protect them. Keep an eye out for collections of twigs, grass, and disturbed soil, and steer clear if you see them.
