A 73-year-old great grandmother shot and killed a 12ft alligator she suspects of eating her miniature horse.
Judy Cochran took down the 580lb reptile at her ranch in Polk County on Monday with a single bullet to the head.
In Polk County, hunting season for alligators is only open from 10-30 September.
Cochran, who is also the mayor of Livingston, Texas, told the Fort Worth Star Telegram: “There are a lot of requirements to kill a gator in Polk County. You have to have a permit and tags from a wildlife biologist and you have to catch it on a hook first. We don’t just go to the ranch and hunt a gator.”
The beast was lured into view with a “seasoned raccoon”, the Houston Chronicle reported.
“One shot in the head, and he went under,” Cochran said.
The reptile is now in the hands of a taxidermist who will stuff and mount the head and tail for Cochran’s office. She says she plans to eat the meat and use the skin for a pair of boots.
She told ABC13: “I said, ’Don’t mess with Nana.”