400-pound gator found in southeast Texas backyard

GROVES, TX -- Texas is known for cattle and horses. In southeast Texas, you can add 400 pound alligators to the mix.

"My wife and I are just going for a walk, with our new dog, and there's that 11 foot alligator just about 12 feet from us," said Art Williams of Groves, near Port Arthur.

PHOTOS: 400lb gator captured in southeast Texas

Williams told ABC affiliate KBMT-TV the gator he spotted in his backyard weighed a whopping 400 pounds. He called in professional gator catchers to capture the animal.

"It was being pretty aggressive so we had to go ahead and take the alligator out of the pond," said Gary Saurage of Gator Country, which specializes in alligator rescues.

Saurage says there's no reason to fear the gators as long as you keep a safe distance. Above all, he says avoid feeding them.

"90 percent of your bites come from those hand feeding," Saurage said. "Don't do that, alligators can run 22 miles per hour on land and you can't run that fast."

Experts suspect up to 400,000 alligators are living in Southeast Texas.