HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A group of Girl Scouts in Texas were on a camping trip when they encountered a massive alligator.
Cellphone video from Saturday evening captured girls from Troop 114204 frantically swimming to safety as an alligator heading towards them while in Lake Raven, according to the “Today Show.”
The group of girls was having an overnight camping trip at Huntsville State Park when the encounter happened.
“I was thinking, this is the day I die,” Ava Miller, 11, said, according to KPRC. “It was moving faster than us or about the same.”
The alligator was estimated to be about 14 feet long.
Scout leader Nichole Glenn was able to help the girls get to safety and stood between them and the gator, the “Today Show” reported.
“I always say that I love them to death,” Glenn told KPRC. “I always say I would do anything for them. Now, I definitely know I would do anything for them.”
The girls jokingly named the alligator “Karen,” and they ultimately learned a huge life lesson on Saturday.
“I was close enough to get hurt. And I didn’t even know it was there. So I should probably focus on my surroundings more,” Erin White said, according to KPRC.
A spokesperson from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said that the agency had removed multiple nuisance alligators in the past and is trying to figure out if they need to do it again, the news outlet reported.
The swimming area was closed by the park officers for the remainder of the day on Saturday. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said that alligator attacks are rare in Texas, but they can still happen.
