A couple who just moved to New Iberia, La., from Arizona got a surprise visit from an unwelcome guest last week.
Don and Jan Schultz heard their 7-year-old dog barking last Friday, according to KATC 3. When Don got up to see what the commotion was about, he realized that a small alligator had crawled through their doggy door.
“Our dog Panda growled a deep throat grumble and woke my wife up and she tapped me said ‘I think there’s someone in the house’ and so I got up headed down the hall to check,” he said “I saw the shape of an alligator.”
The couple called 911 and waited for just a short time until Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries officers capured it.
“We are real grateful for the Sheriffs and Wildlife and Fisheries that came and so thoroughly dispatched the creature from our house,” said Jan. “I guess it’s off swimming in a bayou somewhere.”
Though it was a bit scary, the couple joked that they are getting “the full Cajun experience,” in their new home. Still, they have decided to install a special doggy door that only lets their pet in – no reptile drop ins.
“We are taking precautions and putting a locking dog door in now that only unlocks with the dog’s collars, so we won’t have this surprise in the future,” said Don.
According to Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, alligators can grow to be some of the largest reptiles in North America. They cover around 4.5 million acres of habitat in Louisiana – mostly coastal marshes.
“A giant alligator is like an armored battleship, protected by a shield of horny plates on his back and fierce teeth in the bow and propelled by a powerful tail,” it said. “Alligators are highly adapted for carrying out essential life functions in their aquatic environment.”
Breeding season for Alligators is in the spring. As hatchlings grow, their diet becomes diverse and can include crawfish, fish, frogs, crabs, muskrats, nutria, beavers, raccoons, birds and fish, snakes, turtles, and even deer.
Per the University of Florida, though they can be huge and have a wide-ranging diet, alligators account for less than 6% of crocodilian attacks that resulted in fatality globally.
“A majority of these attacks occurred while the person was swimming, wading, or at the water’s edge,” said the university.
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