Giant gator, named 'George,' halts traffic on Texas highway

CLEVELAND, Texas (FOX 13) - A massive alligator was captured after it attempted to cross a Texas highway.

During the early morning hours on Monday, the gator, measuring up to 12 feet long, started to make its way across U.S Highway 59 in Cleveland, Texas, according to a wrangler. 

The alligator, according to the Houston Chronicle, was clipped by an 18-wheeler as it attempted to cross the southbound lane of traffic near a Whataburger restaurant. Since it survived the wrangling, authorities asked Ward if it can be relocated, which it was.

"We safely placed the Gator on the flat bed of my truck and strapped him for the ride,” Ward said in a Facebook post. “Only in Texas will you get a Gator and Whataburger in the same picture."

Firefighters shut down highway traffic, while Ward lassoed the large reptile. He handed rope to an animal control officer, the Chronicle reports, and the gator was roped on the opposite side. One more rope was wrapped around its nose. It took six men to wrestle the gator into his pickup truck. 

Ward named the alligator, “George,” and released him at a lake more than 20 miles away from any major highway. He shared video of George’s release, showing the massive gator slowly treading across the grassy area before entering the lake.

Ward wrote in his Facebook post, “Let's hope he finds him a pretty lady and stays.”