See you later, alligator

April 2, 2025

By Ray Pedraza

WESLACO, Texas — Working near the side of the road can be unsettling but throw in a few dozen razor sharp teeth and a bite force of more than 300 pounds per square inch, and it can be downright nerve racking.

A special guest of the reptilian sort recently turned the FM 1015 and Camino de Verdad intersection in Weslaco into the talk of the town. An alligator measuring more than six feet found her way into a storm drain near the intersection.

“I was really surprised to see an alligator like that,” said David Cano, TxDOT construction inspector. “Reptile eyes with slits. The sun was peering through, and you could barely see. It was exciting!”

Cano learned about the scaly visitor after stopping by a nearby work site. He contacted local animal control and the game warden to rescue the alligator. Eventually, the South Padre Island Birding, Nature Center and Alligator Sanctuary stepped in to remove her.

After removing the gator — named Stormy in honor of her location — from the storm drain, her rescuers took her to the alligator sanctuary.