Some Girl Scouts in Huntsville, Texas, got a scare when a 12-foot-long alligator set his sights on them while they were swimming.
In a video captured by David Siljeg shows the massive gator swimming toward the 11-year-olds who were swimming in Lake Raven during an overnight camping excursion at Huntsville State Park. Screams and shouts are heard as the girls frantically make their way to shore.
“This is an emergency!” Siljeg can be heard saying on camera. One girl is seen on a floating dock in the water as the alligator approaches. Thinking that the rest of the troop was leaving her as they rushed to shore, she jumped into the water and was helped to safety by troop leader Nichole Glenn. Thankfully she, and the rest of the troop, made it safely to shore.
“There was no doubt in my mind that that alligator was not going to try and eat somebody,” Glenn told KPRC 2 news station. “I always say that I love them to death. I always say I would do anything for them. Now, I definitely know I would do anything for them,” she said.
Ava Miller, one of the scouts who was swimming when the gator was spotted nearby, told the outlet, “I was thinking, this is the day I die. It was moving faster than us or about the same.”
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According to Glenn, it took awhile for the girls to calm down and process what they had just experienced.
Park authorities closed the swimming area for the rest of the day as a preventative measure. A spokesman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said that several alligators have been removed from the park in the past, and they are deciding on taking similar action this time.
Alligator attacks in Texas are extremely rare, but they can happen. TPWD says that most alligator “attacks” are typically “encounters,” and they encourage people to keep their distance and leave the animals alone. If a gator becomes a nuisance, people are instructed to call local authorities who can deal with it properly.
Watch the terrifying video captured of the alligator approaching Girl Scouts below.