Over the weekend, a group of Girl Scouts had a harrowing encounter with an alligator, measuring over 10 feet, while swimming at Lake Raven in Huntsville State Park, Texas. The scouts swiftly moved to safety when the alligator approached, only to get entangled in a rope.
This event took place roughly 60 miles from Houston in a state park where warning signs about the presence of alligators are displayed near the swimming areas. A video footage shot on a cellphone illustrates the proximity of the alligator to the swimmers.
David Siljeg, who captured the video, witnessed a huge alligator advancing towards the girls. As the group scrambled, an adult rushed to usher the children beyond a rope separating the shoreline from a floating platform. In an attempt to join the rest, one of the scouts jumped into the water. The alligator momentarily submerged and then got caught in the rope.
Reflecting on the incident, Siljeg shared with FOX 26, “It was like watching a scene from a movie, but it was happening right in front of us.” He believed the alligator had the young swimmer in its sights.
Chaos erupted when the group, in sheer terror, began yelling and shrieking at the sight of the oncoming reptile.
Ava Miller, 11, recounted to the local NBC affiliate KPRC, “I thought, ‘Is this the day I meet my end?’ “It seemed to move at our pace, if not faster.
“A few of us were quite alarmed when it dawned on us that an alligator was on the verge of attacking.”
Thankfully, all the scouts were unharmed. Noel Garcia promptly aided the children during the incident and commented that the alligator was stealthily approaching. He expressed relief that the rope was there, believing it might have played a part in ensuring the kids’ safety. “The presence of the rope was fortuitous. It served as a distraction,” Garcia noted.
Troop leader Nichole Glenn, speaking to KPRC 2, mentioned that the group was on an overnight camping expedition in the park to delve into nature and master fishing skills. She firmly believed, “It was clear to me that the alligator had every intention of harming one or more swimming scouts.”
Another similar incident occurred in the summer at Lake Raven, where swimmers had to be saved from a dock due to an intervening alligator. Despite these close calls, no injuries have been reported.
