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Texas Alligators Chomp on Two Boats in Bizarre Attacks

Frightening yet mysterious situations occurred recently when Texan alligators reportedly attacked two different boats in a Houston, Texas area. The attacks put the community on high alert. 

According to the New York Post, one of the attacks occurred when a rower named Eugene Janssen accidentally hit an alligator with one of his oars. Dee Connors, the President of the Greater Houston Rowing Club spoke about the incident. “An alligator just came up underneath him and chomped the side of the boat. It was pretty insane but he was able to stay in the boat [even] though [it] was sinking.”

Connors also told the media outlet that this was the first “aggressive” behavior by alligators her rowing group has seen in 30 years of rowing in the Oyster Creek area. As a result of the situation, the rowing club has hired an alligator trapper. They were able to successfully capture the reptile and place it into custody. 

However, another attack by a second reptile occurred days later. Connors explained this happened within four days of the first incident. It was reported that Walter Pasciak encountered a five-foot-long alligator that struck the bottom of his boat and bit into it when he was out rowing one morning. 

“I was lucky,” Pasciak shared about the experience with the Houston Chronicle. “Something like that can flip you off the boat, which can be a difficult experience when there’s an aggressive alligator in the water.” 

The rowing club further explained it isn’t sure if there are two aggressive alligators. The organization is also not sure if the wrong creature was captured the first time. It has decided to hire a second trapper. 

What’s Causing the Aggressive Alligator Attacks? 

Meanwhile, the New York Post revealed there are some theories about what is causing the recent attacks by local alligators in the Oyster Creek area. It was noted that the reptiles’ habitat may be distributed which can cause aggressiveness. 

Another theory is that a young alligator is trying to protect its nest or may confuse the boats as being food. However, experts in the area do not agree on what is actually causing the attacks. 

In response to the attacks, rowers are taking extra precautions in the area. This includes rowing at dawn. Rowers are continuing to get into the water despite the attacks. “People are apprehensive, and we wish we could catch the aggressive alligator, but it hasn’t happened yet.” 

The Greater Houston Rowing Club did issue a warning on its Facebook page. “Parks and Wild Life is working on catching and relocating this gator. In meantime, it is advised to not row upstream in Oyster Creek until further notice.  PWL thought they caught the gator over the weekend but it was not the right one.”