Large alligator captured outside Texas middle school

DALLAS, May 26 (UPI) -- An alligator caught taking an early morning stroll at a Dallas middle school was wrangled by deputies and game wardens who took video of the capture.

The Dallas County Sheriff's Department said a deputy on patrol spotted what he initially believed to be a log about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday outside STEAM Middle School.

The deputy took a closer look and determined the object was actually a 7-foot-long alligator and summoned deputies, game wardens and Dallas Animal Services.

Game wardens used catch poles to ensnare the gator about 4 a.m. and taped its mouth shut.

"That's the hardest and most dangerous part of capturing an alligator," Dallas County Game Warden Jamie Sanchez told the Dallas Morning News. "After we taped its mouth, we put it in the back of my truck to take to the wilderness preserve."

Sanchez said the gator likely wandered away from the nearby Trinity River.

Officials said the alligator will have a new permanent home at the game preserve.