Alligator in Porto Alegre: what is known about the animal that would have been seen in flooded streets

With the advance of Lake Guaíba through neighborhoods that had been spared in the first days of the flood that hit Porto Alegre, regions characterized a few days ago by urban hustle and bustle began to record scenes typical of wild environments.

On Tuesday afternoon (7/5), volunteers and environmentalists reported on social media that alligators were roaming the flooded streets of the Menino Deus neighborhood, which, with around 100,000 residents, is one of the most traditional in the capital and was honored in a song of the same name by composer Caetano Veloso.

Widely shared videos and photos show the reptiles swimming next to walls and fences that belong to the neighborhood.

Until 7pm on Tuesday (7/5), the Secretariat for the Environment, Urbanism and Sustainability (Smamus) of Porto Alegre City Hall only confirmed the existence of reports received from volunteers and residents regarding sightings of alligators in flooded areas .

The secretariat’s technical staff had not captured, sighted or recorded images of these animals.

The heavy rains that have been affecting Rio Grande do Sul since last week have already caused at least 95 deaths and affected 401 of the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul.

Porto Alegre was especially hit due to the overflow of the Guaíba, whose water level reached 5.28 meters, four meters above the volume considered normal, according to the city’s Integrated Service Coordination Center.

“Throughout the morning and afternoon of this Tuesday (7), reports of sightings of small alligators mobilized the Smamus Wildlife team to carry out inspections in several flooded areas of the city”, informed the secretariat, in a note issued on early Tuesday evening.

In the afternoon, said the ministry, after the first reports reached Smamus, rescue volunteers and employees from the secretariat joined forces to search the Menino Deus neighborhood, but did not locate the animal.

“Thus, it should be noted that none of the images shared of alligators were recorded by Smamus”, concludes the agency.

Earlier, at 12:36 pm, the secretariat confirmed in a note that the animal had been seen in Menino Deus.

“The Wildlife team from the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment, Urbanism and Sustainability (Smamus) confirms the sighting of a small alligator in the flooded region of Menino Deus, on the morning of this Tuesday (7)”, said the text of the Smamus.

BBC News Brasil also sought contact with Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) and the Environmental Command of the Military Brigade, which also participate in actions in the flooded municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, but did not receive a response until the closing of this report.

Before the recent major floods, at the end of 2023, an alligator spotted by people in Parque do Pontal, near Barra Shopping Sul, in the south of Porto Alegre, led Smamus to carry out educational actions to guide the population on what to do and not do it in the presence of these animals.

Right at the beginning of the flooding of urban areas, in the first days of the month, residents also reported seeing an alligator on Avenida Severo Dullius, in the north of Porto Alegre. Smamus teams did not find, however, evidence of the animal’s presence.

On Tuesday (7/5), a man who identifies himself as volunteer biologist Theo, highlighted in a video posted on Instagram that the agency had confirmed the presence of alligators on Avenida Getúlio Vargas, the central axis of Menino Deus.

“Be careful, okay? These animals, they stay on the banks, and the banks are now inside the city, okay? So, if you see one, it looks like a big log, don’t come close, okay?”, warned the man.

Smamus’ communications department confirms that it received the report from the man, who would be a volunteer with the Civil Defense.

Menino Deus was flooded on Monday afternoon (6/5) due to the pump being turned off at a city hall facility.

With the shutdown, the water inside the pipe was released onto Menino Deus and the neighboring Cidade Baixa neighborhood.

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“There are thousands of people waiting for rescue in these areas, where there are practically only volunteers and some city hall teams. There are many elderly people who have been without food and water for five days, on roofs”, said the vice-mayor of Porto Alegre, Ricardo Gomes (no party), in a press conference this Tuesday afternoon (7/5).

“We appeal to anyone who has any vessel that can help [nos resgates]. Jet skis, boats with motors, and even boats without motors because they can be pulled by others,” she said.

Across Rio Grande do Sul, 159,000 people had to leave their homes and 48,800 of them are living in shelters, according to data from the most recent State Civil Defense bulletin, released this Tuesday afternoon.

The state government also estimates that 1.44 million people were affected by the extreme weather event. There are 372 injured and 131 missing.