Strangest State: A Lovestruck Alligator and Headless Goats

The latest from far-flung Texas.

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CONROE // A 10-foot alligator was killed and a driver hospitalized after the animal was struck by a car on Texas Highway 99 in Montgomery County. The Houston Chronicle reports that spring is peak gator mating season; the animal was likely moving from pond to pond looking for love when it was hit.

HOUSTON // A weeklong saga of a tiger running amok in a Houston neighborhood, then disappearing, came to a close in mid-May. The tiger was seen escaping from its apparent owner before seeking refuge, spawning a manhunt—or, rather, a cathunt. The 9-month-old Bengal tiger has now been captured and sent to live in a wooded lot at an animal sanctuary, the Houston Chronicle reports.

EL PASO // When 15 decapitated goats were discovered in northeast El Paso, a game warden told KVIA that it could have been due to “satanic rituals, blood removal, possibly.” Investigators located the goats’ alleged owner across the state line in New Mexico, where he was questioned.

FORT WORTH // A secret 192-year-old beer recipe arrived by armored car—with a police escort to boot—in Fort Worth,  eventually stopping at the Molson Coors brewery, WFAA reports. The delivery was from Yuengling, a Pennsylvania-based brewer that has struck a deal with Coors to deliver its


AUSTIN // A massive auction of exotic, taxidermied animals was held in Austin, according to a news release. The estate sale offered an extensive collection belonging to John Brommel, a well-known taxidermist, boasting “everything from squirrel to wildebeest,” including elephant tusks, a polar bear rug, and a full moose body with a 62-inch horn spread.product to the western United States for the first time.


PORT ARANSAS //
A hard hat belonging to a crew member of a vessel that was shipwrecked off the Louisiana coast washed up in Port Aransas, 600 miles away, nola.com reports. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed it belonged to a Seacor Power crew member who had been missing. Six others were still missing at the time.