Social Media Post Creates Alligator Scare Among Santa Cruz Residents

By Xiu Ying, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A misguided social media post about alligators on the loose at Favela do Rola spread terror in the community located in Santa Cruz, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, at the start of this week.

The post, created by a resident, warned neighbors to watch out for alligators who had supposedly escaped during the heavy rain and were now walking the streets of the favela.

The young man who published the warning had spotted and captured what he believed was a baby alligator. The animal turned out to be a large lizard, as confirmed by the Environmental Police, who set out to investigate after the story gained traction on social media. “He meant to protect his neighbors, but ultimately incited fear,” they said.

Although this case of alligators was false, the presence of alligators in the West Zone is not entirely surreal. The neighborhoods of the region are surrounded by lakes that are home to thousands of these animals.

Residents of Cidade de Deus also claim that the heavy rains brought snakes and small alligators into the streets and inside their homes.