Alligator spotted off road in Rio Hondo

RIO HONDO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — An alligator was spotted off Vasquez Road between Rio Hondo and San Benito on Thursday.

Cameron County Irrigation District 2 officials alerted the public to stay off the canals for the time being.

Alligators are native to the Valley and are common around the resacas.

“Actually one of our farmers brought it up to our attention and said hey there’s a gator up here that’s on the road and it was just kind of a cool picture, so he sent it to us and we thought it’s a good thing just to remind people that we do see some people that go out to our canals," said Craig Harmon, General Manager for Cameron County Irrigation District 2.

Harmon assured that alligators are animals that mostly keep to themselves, but are worth reporting when spotted near roads or channels.

“I don’t think it’s a real significant threat and certainly we don’t want to deal with them any more than we have to and they have in my opinion the same right that we have to be out there," said Harmon.

Rio Hondo residents should know there’s little to fear as long as they stay away from canals.

The district encourages residents who spot an alligator to report them to the district.