The gator was found Tuesday night while crossing Clear Lake boulevard, adjacent to the Northfork subdivision. Too big to relocate, a warden shot the gator three times, killing it.
The gator eventually was taken to Mark Porter with the Porter Processing & Alligator Farm in Anahuac.
"This is really, a very, very nice one. Good, clean, no scarring," said Porter.
Porter says this one is nearly 10 feet. Earlier Tuesday, an 8-foot-long gator met the same fate in Fort Bend County.
"We're not gonna get somebody hurt for the sake of relocating this animal," said Fred Ruiz with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
It's a growing problem this time of year. With rains, and warmer weather, gators are more mobile as they come out looking to mate. Each game warden has the authority under Texas law to decide whether a gator can be relocated or should be killed. And there's only so many game wardens. On Tuesday, in Fort Bend, there was only one on duty. There's only nine across all of Harris County.
"At times, we're short handed," Ruiz said.
Nuisance hunters like Porter work with Texas Parks and Wildlife and will be called out often to help.
"If I can get the gator in the sack, I take him alive," Porter said.
They get to keep the carcass, processing it then the meat is harvested for sale.
Porter says a gator like the one found in Clear Lake will earn him $500 to $600. He'll process up to 1,000 alligators at the height of the season. The hide then can be dyed and made into boots, belts or just about anything you might desire.
Porter says little of the animal goes to waste.
If you come across an alligator experts say not to go near it. They suggest you call 9-1-1.
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