A troop of Girl Scouts were swimming in Lake Raven in Huntsville State Park, Texas, over the weekend when they had a terrifying encounter with an alligator that was over 10 feet long.
When the alligator came closer, the scouts quickly fled to safety, only to become tangled in a rope.
This incident happened in a state park about 60 miles from Houston where alligator caution signs are posted close to the swimming areas. A video showed the alligator’s proximity to the swimmers.
A large alligator was moving closer to the girls when a man named David Siljeg saw it and immediately took a video on his phone. An adult rushed to lead the children past a rope dividing the shoreline from a floating platform as the group scurried.
One of the scouts dove into the water in an effort to join the others. The alligator briefly submerged before becoming entangled in the rope.
He thought the alligator had the young swimmer in its sights, saying to FOX 26: “It was like watching a scene from a movie, but it was happening right in front of us.”
The group started screaming and wailing in utter panic as soon as they saw the approaching animal.
An 11-year-old Ava Miller told the local NBC station KPRC, “I thought, ‘Is this the day I meet my end?’ “It seemed to move at our pace, if not faster.
“A few of us were quite alarmed when it dawned on us that an alligator was on the verge of attacking.”
Fortunately, none of the scouts were hurt.
During the incident, Noel Garcia immediately helped the children and said that the alligator was sneaking up on them. He expressed relief that the rope was present, thinking it might have distracted the alligator, contributing to the children’s safety.
Nichole Glenn, the troop leader, told KPRC 2 that the group was going on an overnight camping trip at the park to learn about nature and improve their fishing techniques. She had no doubts, saying, “It was clear to me that the alligator had every intention of harming one or more swimming scouts.”
