Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Sept. 3, 2026 — Municipal crews captured a crocodile measuring about three meters Wednesday night in Las Mojoneras, completing part of a nearly two-week search while a second animal remains in the area.
Patrulla Verde officers secured the crocodile outside the water. Puerto Vallarta Civil Protection and Fire Department personnel then helped transport it to the Estero El Salado.
The animal remains there for examination and registration while the federal environmental agency Profepa determines its disposition, according to reporting published Thursday.
Second crocodile keeps operation active
The capture reduces the immediate risk around one section of the canal, but authorities have not ended the operation. Crews are still searching for the second crocodile reported in Las Mojoneras.
Authorities have asked residents to stay away from the canal and avoid attempting to catch the remaining animal. Any sighting should be reported rather than followed or approached.
The crocodiles had been reported near residential areas and a primary school. Residents previously raised concerns about crocodiles leaving the canal during flooding and reaching nearby streets.
Those concerns were among the complaints raised Aug. 22 when residents blocked Avenida México near Paseo de Las Flores. They requested flood-control work and barriers that could limit crocodile movement toward homes.
The coordinated search began Aug. 21, according to a report on the operation. Civil Protection, municipal environmental personnel and police searched by land, water and air.
By Aug. 27, the city had deployed an airboat, four ground teams and a drone around the canal. PVDN previously detailed the expanded Las Mojoneras crocodile search.
Crocodile’s identity has not been confirmed
Several accounts identify the captured crocodile by the nickname “Pepe,” which residents have used for a large animal seen around the lagoon.
However, local reporting on the capture said biologists and environmental specialists had not confirmed that identification. The report said the captured animal carried a mark, but it did not publish the identifying number.
PVDN is therefore not treating the “Pepe” identification as an established fact.
An independent account of the nighttime operation also placed the crocodile’s length at approximately three meters. Reports differed slightly on the capture time but agreed it occurred Wednesday night.
El Salado transfer is not a final placement
The transfer to El Salado should not be confused with a confirmed permanent relocation. The crocodile is being held there while specialists examine it and Profepa determines the appropriate action.
PVDN reviewed municipal environmental records showing that El Salado has previously served as a handling, marking and release location.
One October 2025 entry documented a 2.784-meter crocodile previously captured in Mojoneras. Municipal wildlife personnel recorded its identification before releasing it at El Salado.
Residents who encounter the remaining crocodile can call 911. A municipal public safety report lists the Patrulla Verde contact number as 322-178-8999.
