SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – Nearly 40 alligators from the South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center and Alligator Sanctuary were removed as Tropical Storm Beryl approaches the Gulf of Mexico.
The alligators — including an 800-pound male named Big Padre — were transported Monday to Gator Country in Beaumont, where they will stay temporarily.
The animals were moved due to potential flooding from Beryl, Executive Director Cristin Enholm told KSAT. If the ponds flood, the alligators may make their way to the community.
“We expect a storm surge. This is how we prepare for a hurricane by relocating them,” Enholm said, adding that Gator Country is a partner sanctuary.
Enholm said the animals were transported in a travel trailer with air conditioning.
You can watch the organizations round up the animals in a video from KRGV above.
The alligators at the sanctuary are not considered wild; they were already rescued from backyard ponds, pools or piers, or were provided food by humans, KRGV reported.
“All the alligators that are here in the first place are here because they couldn’t be in the wild anymore. They’ve been habituated around humans, associating humans with food,” herpetologist Jake Reinbolt told KRGV.
The sanctuary’s website states Big Padre was previously a “frequent visitor” to a boat dock where anglers fed him fish scraps. He was removed from that area after he rested his head on someone’s boat, looking for food.
Big Padre is about 56 years old and measures 12 feet, 6 inches.
KRGV reported that on Monday, he had to be removed with the help of an ATV.
Lady Laguna is another large gator at the sanctuary, weighing 250 pounds and measuring 11 feet.
Big Padre, Lady Laguna and 37 juvenile alligators were removed, Enholm said. The animals will return to the Rio Grande Valley after the storm and any flooding pass.
Beryl is moving into the Gulf of Mexico, and models are beginning to trend toward a potential landfall somewhere along the Texas Gulf Coast.
Clarity on Beryl’s impacts on San Antonio won’t come until the system re-emerges into the Gulf. This is because its interaction with the Yucatan could have impacts on its strength, position, and eventual path.
Keep track of the hurricane and any flooding with your KSAT Weather Authority.