<![CDATA[Two boats get 'chomped' by alligators in Texas for no clear reason]]> https://usagag.com/2022/09/13/two-boats-get-chomped-by-alligators-in-texas-for-no-clear-reason/ Tue, 13 Sep 2022 07:06:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://usagag.com Two boats get 'chomped' by alligators in Texas for no clear reason The president of the Greater Houston Rowing Club, Dee Connor, told The Post that one attack happened when Eugene Janssen hit an alligator by accident with an oar.

Conners said, "An alligator just swam up under him and bit the side of the boat."

"It was pretty crazy, but even though the boat was sinking, he was able to stay in it."

Janssen ran to shore when he heard a loud crunch and got his boat out of the area. Only later did he find out that a big bite had gone through the side of his boat.

Connors said that it was the first time her group had seen an alligator act "aggressively" in the 30 years they had been rowing in the Oyster Creek area.

The club hired an alligator trapper, who was able to catch the animal.
But, "within four days of catching the alligator, another one attacked," Connors said.

Walter Pasciak said that while he was rowing one morning, a five-foot-long alligator hit the bottom of his boat and then bit it.

An alligator swims in the water.
“Aggressive” alligators have attacked two row boats in the Houston, Texas, area.
Eugene Janssen

He told the Houston Chronicle, "I was lucky." "Something like that can make you fall out of the boat, which can be scary if there's an angry alligator in the water."

The row club isn't sure if there are two aggressive gators or if the wrong animal was caught the first time, so they've hired a second alligator trapper.

Experts don't agree on what caused the alligators to attack, but some ideas are that their habitat was disturbed, a young alligator was trying to protect its nest, or the alligators thought the boats were food.

The boat broken where the alligator bit it.
One alligator “chomped” the side of a boat after the rider accidentally hit it with his oar.
Eugene Janssen
A boat is broken where the alligator bit it.
A second alligator attack occurred days after the first offender was captured.
Greater Houston Rowing Club/Face

Since the attacks, the rowers have taken some precautions, like rowing before dawn, but no one has stopped going into the water.

"People are scared, and we wish we could catch the mean alligator, but we haven't been able to do that yet."

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