Reggie is the name of an American alligator, believed to have been raised in illegal captivity, who became feral and was sighted for two extended periods at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park in the South Bay, Los Angeles area in 2005 and 2007. [1] The animal is now in captivity at Los Angeles Zoo.
Reggie was first seen swimming in Machado Lake at Harbor City, California's Kenneth Malloy Memorial Park in August 2005. He became a media sensation shortly thereafter, receiving coverage as far away as Europe, and eventually inspiring a website, [2] a line of merchandise, and even becoming the unofficial mascot for nearby Los Angeles Harbor College. [3]
Two men from San Pedro, California, suspected of illegally raising exotic animals, were arrested in August 2005 in connection with releasing Reggie into the lake. [1]
City officials immediately set efforts in motion to apprehend him. The entire 53-acre (21 ha) lake was cordoned off and several professional "gator wranglers" were hired. But despite a nearly three-month-long effort, Reggie managed to elude capture and began making fewer and fewer appearances until he seemed to disappear altogether. Until May 2007, Reggie was believed to be either in hibernation or dead. "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin pledged that if the American alligator ever re-emerged, he and his crew would go to the lake and attempt a capture. [3]
In September 2005, officials searching for Reggie discovered a smaller American alligator in one of the storm drains connected to the lake. This American alligator was dubbed "Little Reggie". [1]
On April 30, 2007, roughly a year and a half after he was last seen, Reggie emerged on the surface of the lake and appeared to be at least a foot longer than at his last sighting 18 months earlier. Fencing was immediately put up again and more specialists were contacted to try to bring him in; he was once again in the media spotlight.
On May 24, 2007, Reggie stepped out of the water and went over to a 300-foot (91 m) area of dry land. Officials who were there quickly seized the opportunity and cornered him. Joined by a colleague, Los Angeles Zoo reptile keeper Ian Recchio jumped on his back, threw a T-shirt over his head, and wrapped duct tape around his snout. He was seven feet long at the time of his capture. By May 26, Reggie had been moved to the LA Zoo. [4]
On August 15, 2007, zookeepers at the Los Angeles Zoo discovered Reggie missing from his habitat when they entered the facility at 10 a.m. Reggie was later found near a loading dock within the zoo proper, and returned to his cage. Zookeepers vowed to make "modifications" to his habitat to prevent future escapes.
On May 21, 2016, artist Kent Yoshimura placed a 23-ft sculpture of an alligator in Echo Park Lake. [5] In his interview with NBC, he cites Reggie the Alligator as an inspiration to his piece.
In 2010, Los Angeles Zoo officials moved Cajun Kate, a female American alligator, into the same habitat as Reggie, but the two ultimately could not live together and Cajun Kate was moved to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. In August 2016, Los Angeles Zoo officials moved Tina, a female American alligator, into Reggie's habitat. By March 2017, the zoo announced that Reggie and Tina would remain in the same habitat permanently. [6]
An alligator, or just gator, is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. Additionally, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the Oligocene epoch about 37 million years ago.
The American alligator, sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the genus Alligator, and is larger than the only other living alligator species, the Chinese alligator.
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a 133-acre (54 ha) zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California. The city of Los Angeles owns the zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals. Animal care, grounds maintenance, construction, education, public information, and administrative staff are city employees. As of June 2019, Denise M. Verret serves as the zoo's director, the first female African American director of an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institution.
The Chinese alligator, also known as the Yangtze alligator, China alligator, or historically the muddy dragon, is a crocodilian endemic to China. It and the American alligator are the only living species in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. Dark gray or black in color with a fully armored body, the Chinese alligator grows to 1.5–2.1 metres (5–7 ft) in length and weighs 36–45 kilograms (80–100 lb) as an adult. It brumates in burrows in winter and is nocturnal in summer. Mating occurs in early summer, with females most commonly producing 20–30 eggs, which are smaller than those of any other crocodilian. The species is an opportunistic feeder, primarily eating fish and invertebrates. A vocal species, adults bellow during the mating season and young vocalize to communicate with their parents and other juveniles. Captive specimens have reached age 70, and wild specimens can live past 50.
The American crocodile is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas, with populations present from South Florida and the coasts of Mexico to as far south as Peru and Venezuela.
Wally Gator is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired as one of the segments from the 1962–1963 block The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series. The other two segments that compose the series are Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har and Touché Turtle and Dum Dum. The segment consisted of 52 episodes over one year. He appears in the HBO Max series Jellystone! where he is portrayed as the town ditz and played by Jeff Bergman.
The Louisville Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Louisville Zoo, is a 134-acre (54 ha) zoo in Louisville, Kentucky, situated in the city's Poplar Level neighborhood. Founded in 1969, the "State Zoo of Kentucky" currently exhibits over 1,200 animals in naturalistic and mixed animal settings representing both geographical areas and Biomes or habitats.
Gatorland is a 110-acre (45 ha) theme park and wildlife preserve in Florida, located along South Orange Blossom Trail south of Orlando. It was founded in 1949 by Owen Godwin on former cattle land, and is privately owned by his family.
The Indianapolis Zoo is a 64-acre (26 ha) non-profit zoo, public aquarium, and botanical garden in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Incorporated in 1944, the Indianapolis Zoological Society established the first zoo at George Washington Park in 1964. The current zoo opened in 1988 at White River State Park near downtown Indianapolis. It is among the largest privately funded zoos in the U.S.
Zoo Knoxville, formerly known as the Knoxville Zoo or Knoxville Zoological Gardens, is a 53-acre (21 ha) zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 1,200 animals and welcomes over 585,000 visitors each year.
ABQ BioPark Zoo, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a facility of the Albuquerque Biological Park. Founded in 1927, the 64-acre (26 ha) zoo was originally known as the Rio Grande Zoo. Sections of the zoo include an Africa exhibit area, an Australia exhibit area, the "Cat Walk" and herpetology area. An endangered species carousel was added in 2016. A narrow-gauge railroad connects the zoo to the other facilities of the Albuquerque Biological Park. Walking distance through the zoo is 2.27 miles (3.65 km).
Mountain Lake Park is a 14-acre (5.7 ha) San Francisco park in the Richmond District neighborhood, located north of the intersection of Lake and Funston. It was designed by engineer William Hammond Hall in the late 19th century, circa 1875. Hall also designed Golden Gate Park and was significantly influenced by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Stephen Robert Irwin, known as Steve Irwin and "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist.
Zoológico Guadalajara is the main zoological park in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, and is widely considered the most important in Latin America. It is the largest in the country with respect to species population.
Tweet Zoo is a 1957 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. Originally released on May 29, 1957, this short stars Tweety and Sylvester the Cat.
A crocodile farm or alligator farm is an establishment for breeding and raising of crocodilians in order to produce crocodile and alligator meat, leather from crocodile and alligator skin, and other goods. Many species of both alligators and crocodiles are farmed internationally. In Louisiana alone, alligator farming is a $60 to $70 million industry.
Harbor City is a highly diverse neighborhood in the Harbor region of Los Angeles, California, with a population upward of 36,000 people. Originally part of the Rancho San Pedro Spanish land grant, the 2.58-square-mile (6.7 km2) Harbor City was brought into Los Angeles as a preliminary step in the larger city's consolidation with the port cities of Wilmington and San Pedro.
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Saturn was an American alligator residing in the Moscow Zoo. He was the subject of an urban myth that he was previously Adolf Hitler's "pet alligator".
Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, commonly Harbor Park, is a 231-acre (0.93 km2) Los Angeles municipal park featuring a golf course and 45-acre (0.18 km2) Machado Lake and freshwater wetland. Harbor Park is the third-largest park in Los Angeles city parks system after Griffith Park and Elysian Park.