See ya later alligator; Boots is on the move once again

• Boots the Alligator is a well-known 12-foot alligator in Port Aransas that people travel from near and far to see.
• People in Port Aransas have noticed that he has not been hanging out in his usual habitat, the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center.
• In the past few weeks, he was spotted hanging out in a drainage ditch/canal in Port Aransas.
• Residents say recently, Boots has not been spotted at the birding center or in the drainage ditch.

Two weeks ago, KRIS 6 News reported that people in Port Aransas have noticed the beloved 12-foot American Alligator, Boots, has not been hanging out in his usual spot at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center in Port Aransas.

Since then, people have been able to spot Boots in a drainage canal in Port Aransas about a mile away from the birding center. But recently, the people from the Port Aransas Nature Preserve confirmed that Boots has changed locations yet again.

“Alligators can learn behaviors pretty quickly. So, if they’re getting fed in a location, that’s not good. You know, we want him to move on his own," Port Aransas Nature Preserve manager Rae Mooney said. "At least yesterday he potentially was in a better location, out in a large wide open area in the wetlands that are inaccessible to people."

Mooney emphasized that people need to leave Boots alone, and not to feed him. She said this behavior is normal, and that he is the only one in control of where he hangs out.

“We don’t know where he is all the time. He’s a wild animal. We don’t have him trapped in any way at the birding center, he just likes it there, partly because there’s a lot of fresh water there," Mooney said.

However, residents are still concerned about the safety of Boots, and the safety of people in Port Aransas.

“Right now, there’s so many that love Boots. And we just kind of want to know, where is he?" Port Aransas resident Neesey Tompkins said.

Mooney said that they still expect Boots to make his way back over to the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center on his own terms and that he is not a threat to the community right now.

"We've been trying to spread the word through social media, newsletters, word of mouth, that its super important not to feed alligators. In the state of Texas, it is against the law, unless you're hunting. It's not hunting season now, nor could you hunt in these locations in Port Aransas," she said.

Residents and lovers of Boots are still skeptical.

“What if everything does dry up and he can’t make it back? And I know the city is telling us that he’s gonna make it back, but is that a hundred percent sure?” Tomkins said.

Mooney said that Boots is not in danger of being moved and relocated at the moment, and they are trying to avoid that as much as possible.

"That is why were encouraging people to leave him alone and move out on his own. He moved over there on his own for a reason," Mooney said.

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