Residents Concerned After Gator Sighted in Texas Lake With Knife in Its Head

Somewhere in a lake in South Texas is a gator with a knife in its head, and the residents of Orchard Lake Estates are not pleased."Horrified that anyone would do anything like that to an animal," Jennifer Griffin told Houston's KPRC-TV.The gator was sighted in Pumpkin Lakes, which adjoins the Orchard Lake community and backs up to Cullinan Park in Fort Bend County, about 25 miles southeast of Houston.On its website, the community describes itself as a place "where the city and the natural world live in harmony," threaded with footpaths, natural trails and green space "where residents mingle with blue herons, whistling ducks and local wildlife."Resident Erin Weaver regularly walks near the lake, fully aware she and her fellow humans share the space with gators.She told the news station that she was taking her walk about 6 a.m. Thursday when she saw the gator perched on some rocks."He kind of turned and came right towards me," she said, and it was when the gator swam along a nearby rock and stopped that she said noticed the foreign item near the animal's eye."There was actually a knife - it looked like a steak knife - sticking out of his head," Weaver said.She worried for its health and posted a photo on the community's Facebook page, only to find that someone had posted a similar photo the day before."I just felt so bad for him," Weaver said. "I can't believe someone would be that cruel to do that to one of our alligators.... I wanted to help him, but, you know, he is a wild animal, and just me, by myself, I didn't want to do anything."According to Houston's KTRK-TV, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office can only take a report once a deputy sees the injured beast.  Continue reading...