See you later, alligator

EDINBURG - David Zarate has decided to get rid of the 5-foot alligator he keeps in a wooden box in his backyard.

"Vadar" is no longer the baby gator Zarate could hold in both hands.

The American alligator is now 5 years old and has gotten too big and too aggressive for Zarate to handle.

It takes several minutes for the 54-year-old Zarate to wrestle Vadar out of his wooden cage and to the ground - simply reaching in and picking up the reptile is no longer an option.

Not to mention it's illegal to own Vadar as a pet in Texas - no one but alligator farmers and scientists are allowed permits to care for American alligators, which can grow up to 14 feet.

Zarate has been catching reptiles since fifth grade and either releasing them where he caught them or trading them for other animals. He said he has had roughly 40 turtles, five snakes and three alligators in his lifetime. He even had an armadillo, a mammal that has been known to carry the bacteria that cause Hansen's disease, or leprosy.

Right now, Zarate has 10 sea turtles, one land turtle, two pythons and Vadar.

Zarate, a certified nursing assistant, said he mainly does his trading through handmade notices posted at pet stores across the Rio Grande Valley.

He said he was unsure if it was illegal to have Vadar.

Five years ago, Zarate said, he asked several people - including a man selling rattlesnakes at a wildlife expo - what the laws were, but he couldn't get a straight answer.

"Not too many people are aware of the laws," he said.

Zarate goes to area canals every other day to catch two or three fish for Vadar and fills up a roughly 8-foot-long earthen pool once a week with the garden hose to let the reptile swim around.

He said his wife finally convinced him get rid of the alligator, and the first phone call the family made was to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville.

But Colette Adams, who oversees all the animals at the zoo, said staff there were still reviewing whether they would accept the alligator. If they do, it wouldn't go on permanent display.

The zoo's reptile house typically fields two to three calls a week from animal owners looking to get rid of snakes, iguanas or alligators - mainly common green iguanas.

Adams said the owners often think the zoo will buy the common animals from them and then put the animals on permanent display, neither of which happens.

The most the zoo does is temporarily care for the animal, test it for disease and then try to find a good home for it.

Zoo staff rely heavily on their volunteers to adopt the otherwise unwanted animals, though the volunteers must prove they have the necessary equipment and space to care for them.

Calls from people asking for advice on caring for alligators are not unheard of, Adams said.

"(They say), ‘I found this cute baby alligator and I'd really like to keep it as a pet. Can I keep it in the bathtub or in the swimming pool outside?' The fact that they didn't know (that it is illegal) is not going to protect them after they have it for a long time," she said.

Maj. Larry Young, a game warden with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, estimated officials in South Texas come across five to 10 people a year who keep illegal pets, including alligators but more commonly deer and javelina.

Fines for each violation of illegally possessing an animal range from $25 to $500, Young said. The most that wildlife officials can do is rely on witness reports to track down violators.

Monique Slaughter, a wildlife biologist with Parks and Wildlife, said Vadar will likely be kept in captivity the rest of his life.

"(When) they lose their fear of people, that is when all your problems start," she said. "(It) looks to us for food. Someone unfamiliar to that gator is going to freak out."

Zarate said he never had any intention of harming the reptiles he has cared for - he simply loves to admire their beauty and way of life.

"This kind of hobby is not for everybody," he said. "Because it can hurt you if you don't know how to handle it."