The Coppell Police Department is cautioning residents about increased sightings of an alligator in certain areas along Denton Creek in northeastern Coppell.
Coppell Animal Services confirmed on Wednesday the presence of a large alligator, which has been seen in and around small ponds and tributaries.
Johnny Ahrens reported to NBC 5 that he first spotted the gator in the creek behind his home on Sunday and again on Wednesday.
“My daughter-in-law walked down to the creek and said, ‘Hey, there’s a gator over here,'” Ahrens recounted. “I didn’t believe her. We all walked down and sure enough, right there from the fence, there’s an alligator. Probably a five, six-foot alligator.”
Residents are advised against swimming, fishing, or entering the waterways in the area, and they are also urged not to feed the alligator.
According to city officials, alligators are a regulated species, and City staff cannot remove or relocate the reptile without authorization from Texas Parks and Wildlife.
