Texas Mayor Kills 12-Foot-Long Alligator That Allegedly Ate Her Miniature Horse

Follow CBSPHILLY Facebook  | Twitter

LIVINGSTON, Texas (CBS Local) -- The mayor of Livingston, Texas got revenge Sunday on an alligator that allegedly ate one of her miniature horses a few years ago.

Judy B. Cochran, elected mayor of the town in May, shot and killed a 12-foot long, 580-pound alligator at her ranch in Goodrich on Sunday night. Cochran explained to the Houston Chronicle that the family is familiar with this gator because of an incident with one of the family's mini-horses a few years ago.

Mullica Township Police Search For Alligator On The Loose

"We think this is the gator that ate one of our miniature horses several years ago, as big as this gator was, he could've easily eaten it," she said. "Typically the gators don't bother us, but we've been looking for (this one)."

As mayor, Cochran is very familiar with the county laws that restrict the hunting of gators and she made sure to note that this kill was well within the parameters.

"There are a lot of requirements to kill a gator in Polk County," she explained. "We're one of 12 counties that has a hunting season for alligators, between Sept. 10 and 30. You have to have a permit and tags from a wildlife biologist, and you have to catch it on a hook first. We don't just go to the ranch and hunt a gator."

According to the Chronicle, the gator was lured with a seasoned raccoon on a hook. The incident happened in the same pond in which Cochran's then 5-year-old grandson helped kill a similarly large reptile in 2009.

Maine Restaurant Sedates Lobsters With Marijuana Before Cooking Them

As one would expect, Twitter had plenty of reactions.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.