![]() On August 15, 2007, zookeepers discovered Reggie had escaped from his habitat when they entered the facility at 10 a.m. Something was missing from his life, and he was not going to be one of those zoo alligators who just sits around sunning all day. He's pretty cute, for an alligator.īut Reggie was a persistent reptile. Well, Reggie was eventually caught, and now resides at the LA Zoo. "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin pledged that if the gator ever re-emerged, he and his crew would go to the lake and attempt a capture. Until May of 2007, Reggie was believed to be either in hibernation, or dead. 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. The entire 53-acre lake was cordoned off and several professional "gator wranglers" were hired. He was illegally raised in captivity near Long Beach, CA by two men (who were later arrested) who were involved in the illegal trade of exotic animals, but then was released into a lake in August 2005.Ĭity officials immediately set efforts in motion to apprehend him. Reggie the Alligator has quite a long history. If you ever encounter an alligator, Hardwick said you should always call in a professional if you are concerned.Figure 1: Reggie the Alligator, in 2007. "This is the fourth nuisance alligator that posed a serious threat to humans that we've had to remove in the past 14 days." "So far, we have seen a pretty busy alligator season," Hardwick said. At this time of year, alligators are typically more active and more territorial. "Fred got lonely and was looking for a girlfriend," Hardwick told FWC officers in footage of the incident.Īlligator mating season occurs between May and June, with egg laying continuing through June and July. They are mostly found in swamps, marshes, rivers and wetlands, but at this time of year they often come into residential areas looking for food and a mate. Watch moment wild bobcat stalks Florida alligator-"Nobody would believe me"įlorida is home to over 1.3 million alligators, according to the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission."Dangerous" 6ft alligator caught outside North Carolina clothing store. ![]() Turtle caught riding Florida alligator "like it's a horse" in amazing pic."When an alligator is in water of any sort, that is his element which automatically gives him the upper hand and makes him that much more dangerous," Hardwick said. "They go into that spin and just roll and roll and roll."Īlthough shifting an alligator is no straightforward task at the best of times, they are even harder to move when they are in water, as Fred was. "It's also their instinct when they feel in danger," Hardwick said. "He did death roll a lot during removal which we unfortunately didn't catch on camera."Ī death roll is the rapid spinning motion alligators make when they capture their prey. "Male alligators are very territorial during the breeding season, and often even fight among themselves for territory and females around this time of year," he said. Hardwick said that the alligator, which he named Fred, was not happy to be removed from the pool. "Alligators in swimming pools, especially without screens, isn't uncommon," Hardwick told Newsweek. This combined image shows Todd Hardwick wrangling, "Fred," a 10-foot alligator out of a swimming pool and into his van in Kendall, Florida, on Monday evening.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |