A group of Girl Scouts swimming in a Huntsville, Texas, lake had the scare of a lifetime when a large alligator set its sights on them.
The troop was swimming at Lake Raven in Huntsville State Park over the weekend, according to KPRC-TV — the park is located about 60 miles from Houston. Suddenly, the gator is noticed and chaos ensues as panicked swimmers begin screaming and adults on shore rush out to help get them on the landward side of a rope between land and a platform in the water.
The gator was estimated to be longer than 10 feet and was captured on video by Davis Siljeg swimming directly toward the girls, who were still screaming and splashing as they rushed to safety,
“I was thinking, ‘This is the day I die,’” Ava Miller, 11, told KPRC-TV. “It was moving, like, faster than us or about the same.”
The reptile encountered the rope in the water and got tangled up briefly.
An alligator crept up on children swimming in a Texas lake in this terrifying footage from Huntsville, Texas. “This is an emergency,” onlooker David Siljeg said. “Nobody was hurt, thank God.” pic.twitter.com/3KQu79jHMH
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) September 14, 2023
The last child on the platform jumped into the lake and made a dash for safety and that’s when the gator appeared to go underwater, which is when it encountered the rope.
“The gator was definitely aiming for her,” Siljeg told FOX 26, further suggesting the rope likely saved the children from an attack. “It was like a movie scene, but real.”
There are signs posted near the swimming area warning swimmers to beware of alligators.
The Girls Scout troop told KPRC that they named the gator “Karen.” They also said the frightening encounter taught them an important lesson.
“I was close enough to get hurt. And I didn’t even know it was there,” Erin White said. “So I should probably focus on my surroundings more.”
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