An Alligator Stolen 20 Years Ago by a Buda, Texas Woman has Been Found

Most of you reading this have a pet of some kind. My girlfriend has two cats. My black lab Buddy was around for 16 years until he passed away. No secret that dogs and cats are very common pets. Some people may have more unusual pets like a bird or a snake or a ferret. But when the conversation of pets comes up, no one will mention wanting an alligator as a pet. A woman in Buda, Texas apparently wanted one bad enough that she stole an egg 20 years ago and raised that alligator on her own until it was recovered recently.

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How the Alligator was Discovered

Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) were investigating an unrelated case in Buda, Texas, just north of Austin, Saturday, March 4. While investigating that case, TPWD officials stumbled upon a woman's backyard where she was keeping a 7-foot alligator. The alligator had been well taken of and was healthy but was too big for the space it was kept in. Plus she didn't have the permits necessary to keep an alligator as a pet.

Yes, it is Legal to Own an Alligator in Texas

You can have a pet alligator as long as it falls under the following categories:

• Farming
• Education
• Zoological

As officials continued their investigation, they found out the woman had stolen an egg from the New Braunfels Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo about 20 years ago when she was volunteering there. Alligators will lay 50 to 60 eggs at a time so you can see that it would be easy for one to go missing. The alligator was taken to the Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo where he has settled in nicely with the other alligators at the zoo.

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The statue of limitations has run out on the theft of the alligator egg so the woman can't be charged with that. However, she does face about $1,000 in fines for keeping the alligator as a pet without the proper permits (mysanantonio.com).