Texas mayor kills 12-foot gator to avenge her horse

The mayor of a Texas town north of Houston says she hunted and killed a 12-foot alligator that was spotted on her ranch over the weekend.

Livingston Mayor Judy Cochran told The Houston Chronicle that she believes the alligator at the ranch in Goodrich, Texas, was the same one that killed one of her small horses several years ago.

“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,” Cochran told the paper. “Typically the gators don’t bother us, but we’ve been looking for (this one).”

{mosads}Cochran said the alligator was taken down in the same pond where her then-5-year-old grandson took down another one in 2009. She also emphasized that the hunt was safe and in keeping with local requirements.

“There are a lot of requirements to kill a gator in Polk County,” Cochran 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.”

Handlers managed to catch the alligator over the weekend with a seasoned raccoon and a hook, she said.

Cochran, who began her term as Livingston mayor in May, added she and her family already have plans for the 580-pound catch.

“Moye Taxidermy will be processing it, we’ll eat the meat, have the head mounted and have the ridgeback part of the tail in my office,” she said.

“We’ll have the hide tanned to make some boots out of it, you can only make boots from the belly.”