AUSTIN -- Residents in one Del Valle neighborhood now have proof at least one alligator lives in their backyard.
The alligator has been spotted several times in a retention pond in the Berdoll Farms community off Ross Road. The pond is surrounded by a walking trail as well as a playground for children. Homeowner Elizabeth Harris first heard about the gator last year.
"We never saw it so we were a little skeptical," Harris said.
In 2014, police issued a warning after getting several phone calls about it but the gator wasn't caught on camera until now.
Harris says she isn't as nervous about it after talking to other people here. "We have a neighbor who's a real girly girl but she's from Louisiana and she's okay with alligators, so if she is okay, I decided I could be okay, too."
That's not the case for Linda Rodriguez, however. Her daughter and grandchildren live right behind the retention pond.
"Worried because they walk to school and through the trail, the mothers that walk around with their babies in their strollers," said Rodriguez.
Even with so many young children playing nearby, an official with Texas Parks and Wildlife tells KVUE they can't do anything about the alligator until it starts showing signs of aggression. So far, the alligator has not acted in an aggressive manner.
"We told them just to be smart. There's no reason to ever get in this water because it's polluted as well. We just don't get in the water," said Harris.
The spotting hasn't stopped kids from coming out to play but it has put the neighborhood on alert.
According to a neighbor in Berdoll Farms, the pond is owned by the HOA and maintained by the City of Austin.
