Officials Rescue Armadillo From Floodwaters in Southeast Texas

A Texas sheriff helped rescue an armadillo from floodwaters in southeast Texas on Sunday, May 5, as several areas were under mandatory evacuation orders.

Video posted by Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace on May 5 shows another person, who local news identified as Game Warden Sam Shanafelt, grabbing an armadillo as they pass in the boat after the two spotted the animal struggling in the water.

“Poor little fella … now we gotta name the armadillo. I think we’ll call him Sam,” Wallace says in the video, before they pass two nearly submerged cars. Wallace said in the video that they would take the armadillo to dry ground and let it go. Credit: Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace via Storyful

Video transcript

And so we're headed back in now but uh appreciate all y'all watching.Y'all.Just remember this is uh waters out here pretty well.Oh, what is that?Uh Armadillo?Armadillo?One little thing out here about to drown.Do you think we catch people?Yeah, we can catch them.The power.Oh man.Wildlife going everywhere out here, folks shivering so cold.But we've seen a lot of snakes today.The deal is out swimming out in the middle of the flooded area.Now we got to name the armadillo.I think we'll call it old Sam Sam the armadillo, but this is the sign of Dug Bell Road.Everybody that lives in this division right here.See how high that water is another car there.So the water plant for all these people right down in here in this water too.So I understand that some tanks loaded up which cut the water off and the people in the subdivision behind us.But if you can see all the way down to the end, but you can't see.But this is how long the road is down Dug Bell Road.It's about a I'm gonna say probably what you think about a mile to the front, a good mile up there.So that's how much road is underwater.Once again, folks, we'll take the arm deal up here to the dry ground and let him go and y'all be careful.Y'all have a great day.