Alligator sighting at popular La Porte beach; Animal Control responding

LA PORTE, TX (KTRK) -- Sylvan Beach remains closed Friday after a fisherman spotted an alligator swimming close to shore.[br /][br /]Lifeguards are on duty as usual, but they are not watching people swim; they are looking for the alligator.[br /][br /][media ID="1390028" /][br /][br /]J.R. Salazar and his family planned on swimming at Sylvan Beach but stopped when they saw yellow caution tape surrounding the area.[br /][br /]"We're glad somebody saw it before the kids got in because alligators are difficult to spot," Salazar said. "They go underwater and it's hard to see them."[br /][br /][media ID="1389944" /][br /][Ads /][br /]Wildlife experts think all of the rain the Houston area experienced recently has caused the salt content in the water to decrease, making it much more appealing to alligators.[br /][br /]Harris County Sheriff's deputies patrolled the water by boat, looking for any sign of the gator.[br /][br /]Kyle Kelley is the director of parks in Harris County Precinct 2. He, too, is watching for the alligator.[br /][br /][media ID="1389913" /][br /][br /]"We're being vigilant, watching to see if that gator or any other gator is in the water," Kelley said.[br /][br /]Kelley said it's common for gators to be near parks in the area, but he had not seen one this close to a beach before. He said if his lifeguards see the alligator, he will call Texas Parks and Wildlife to relocate the alligator.[br /][br /]Kelley also said it is important for the public not to feed the alligators.[br /][br /]A deputy at Sylvan Park said he has heard of recent alligator sightings along Todville Road, too.[br /][br /]Sylvan Beach is closed until further notice.[br /][br /]PHOTO GALLERY: Old photos of historic Sylvan Beach[/b][br /][post ID="1390297" /][br /][br /]Special thanks to the [url HREF="http://www2.houstonlibrary.org/hmrc/" TARGET="" REL=""]Houston Metropolitan Research Center[/url] of the [url HREF="http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/" TARGET="" REL=""]Houston Public Library[/url][br /]