An alligator has been stuck under a grate in Weslaco for at least four weeks, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

Channel 5 News cameras captured footage of the alligator under a grate located off of International Boulevard and 18th Street Tuesday. The alligator appears to be stuck in what TxDOT said was a storm drain.

A metal grate is preventing anyone from intervening. Onlookers told Channel 5 News some people have been bringing scraps of food and some water to the alligator.

Channel 5 News spoke with wildlife handlers at the South Padre Island Birding Nature and Alligator Sanctuary. The handlers said they’re eager to assist, but they need permission to remove the grate, which is welded in place.

"He obviously doesn't belong there, he's in some kind of trouble. It doesn't appear like he has access to water, he clearly seems stuck,” Jake Reinbolt with the South Padre Island Birding Nature and Alligator Sanctuary said. “I'm confident that if we can remove the biggest obstacle, which right now appears to be this grate, if we can get that out of the way, I’m confident that our team can get this alligator out of there."

TxDOT is currently in charge of a road construction project on International Boulevard. Channel 5 news reached out to TxDOT, and was told an inspector contacted Weslaco Animal Control for assistance regarding the alligator on Feb. 7. 

According to TxDOT spokesperson Ray Pedraza, the TxDOT project manager contacted the Hidalgo County Game Warden. A contractor was able to saw-cut the grate inlet, but a game warden said the alligator was over six-feet long, and removing it would be a safety concern.

Channel 5 News reached out to the Hidalgo County Game Warden for comment, and was told they believe the alligator can get out the same way it can get in.

The South Padre Island Birding Nature and Alligator Sanctuary said they will be at the drain on Wednesday with permits necessary for the removal, and they’re working to coordinate the removal with state authorities.

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