The massive reptile has been named 'Big Tex.'
Don’t poke the gator.
Alligator wrangler Gary Saurage had the fight of his life this week trying to capture a massive reptile that had been chasing people at a Texas lake.
With a chicken-wielding associate, Saurage was able to lasso the 900-plus-pound beast that had become a dangerous nuisance in the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge.
Read: Man Wakes Up to Find 10-Foot Alligator Knocking at His Door
“I felt like I had a Navy ship on the end of the rope,” Saurage told InsideEdition.com Thursday.
He was able to rope the reptile after a colleague threw a chicken and the gator swam toward it.
The alligator measured 13 feet and 8 inches, a state record for live captures.
Read: Woman Fights to Keep 6-Foot Alligator That Wears Clothes and Wags Its Tail
“This is a tremendous animal,” he said. Over the years, he said, alligators at the lake have grown accustomed to humans lurking about.
“They’ve gotten used to people and become a real danger. They come up on the bank and chase people,” said Saurage.
He was called to come catch the reptile, which he relocated to his 20-acre habitat called Gator Country, where he has an assortment of alligators, crocodiles and snakes.
"Instead of shooting them and getting money for the meat and skin, we wanted to give them a refuge," he said.
Watch: Alligator Takes a Leisurely stroll on College Campus While Students Snap Photos
