Alligators in the Woodlands ? (Houston, Missouri City: buying, school, camp)

[mstrat]

Our family is moving to the Woodlands next year. So, I came across some webpages that mentioned that there used to be an Alligator on a Golf Course in the Woodlands. Othe webpages say that there "are alligators on Golf Courses" in the Woodlands. The information is not clear and kind of old.

So my question is : Are there currently Alligators in the Woodlands ? How many ? Where ? I have a 1 year old baby and of course this sort of thing scares me.Thank you very much.

[oceangaia]

Alligators could be in any muddy pond or lake in the entire area. They are not going to stray far from the water and are not much of a threat overall but they are opportunists and a little tot looks a lot like a chicken dinner. Don't let your small kids or pets play alone by natural bodies of water.

But don't blow the threat out of proportion. If you let your small kids play outside unsupervised in an uncontrolled area, they are far more likely to be attacked by a dog than an alligator. Protect your kids from dogs and they will be protected from gators.

[tstone]

FWIW,
Growing up I spent a week at that Boy Scout camp off I-45 near The Woodlands. We saw lots of alligators there, as well as a couple of copperhead snakes. Swam/canoed in those lakes, too. In reality, gators try their best to hide away from humans unless you're screwing with their nests.

[Liljo22]

Alligators can be in an water source any where in the Houston area. Very rarely will you hear of any attack unless someone is provoking them or swim where they are.

[DanielWayne]

Yep alligators can be anywhere. I spent some time at UH-CL, and there was a story in the school paper about someone walking their little rat dog too close to the pond on campus...

On the other hand, from my limited experience with alligators, you probably have to go out of your way to be attacked. Alligators generally shun human contact unless you are flailing away in a river with open wounds. By this I mean adult humans. Or as said earlier - if you are messing with a nest. Terrible idea.

[Bily Lovec]

do you normally leave a one year old infant unattended near water ?

this is the south, there can be gators everywhere there is water.

[pdouglas]

I live in Richmond and I have a natural lake in my backward. With alligators. They are all over TX.

[chris_ut]

Being eaten by Alligators in the number #1 cause of death for toddlers in The Woodlands. True story.

[Sampaguita]

Yes.

The bottom line is that when it comes to Houston, you will encounter all sorts of creatures.

In TW, we saw snakes, flying cockroaches, spiders and mosquitoes galore.

In Missouri City, it's all of the above plus sugar ants, fire ants (and their maddening ant hills!), geckos - I think they hang out on the door frame because they always fall onto my foot. My screaming & wild gyrations to get it off my foot always seem to turn into unplanned decapitations. We've also had wild boar (destructive creatures!) running amuck lately. We've also had friends who've seen a coyote.

Although I haven't seen any alligators - I know they are there thanks to seasoned folks in the areas we've lived in giving us the 10 cent tour.

A little common sense goes a long way when you're moving to Texas.

[cheryjohns]

Have you given any thought to buying a hi-rise near downtown? Great view, behind glass.