10-foot alligator removed from North Texas lake

FORT WORTH, Texas - A 10-foot alligator has been safely relocated after being removed from Eagle Mountain Lake Thursday.

Eagle Mountain Lake alligator

The Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge's Natural Resources Team worked with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to catch the alligator as part of ongoing research, TPWD said in a press release on Thursday. 

The male alligator, affectionately named "Big Dude," weighed in at 291.8 pounds, and was 10 feet 7 inches in length. 

The teams safely measured, tagged and relocated the reptile to a protected, more remote location. 

What they're saying:

North Texas-based musician Mike Mancy helped to capture the massive gator because neighbors reported he was getting a little too close for comfort.

"They already had a trap set because that gator was already in the area for a couple days and someone made a phone call and said, ‘This gator’s really close,'" he said.

Mancy and the other wildlife experts found Big Dude near a dock.

"They snagged him once and tried to get him to come in and he snapped the line. So later that night he got in the trap. They had bait in there, so got him," he said. "Four of us pulled him out of the cage and he didn't want to come out. He kept backing up. We all were pulling with all our might. It was a tug of war game. We almost lost, sliding down the hill. He's pulling at us. Finally got him out enough to put the bag over his head."

The researchers hope to study his patterns and behaviors to learn more about him.

What you can do:

For more information about alligator sightings in Fort Worth, including safety tips and how to report a sighting, visit the City of Fort Worth’s official alligator awareness page.