Edmonton Journal
No zoo can hold celebrity alligator

CanWest News Service

Thursday, August 16, 2007

LOS ANGELES - An alligator who acquired celebrity status in Los Angeles by eluding capture for months made headlines again on Wednesday after escaping from his zoo enclosure.

A hunt for the alligator -- known as Reggie by media and local officials -- was launched after he was discovered missing from his pen at Los Angeles Zoo, where he had been placed last week following his capture in a lake in May.

A frantic search of the zoo found Reggie lurking near a loading dock before he was caught and placed in quarantine, officials said.

Zoo officials said they believed the alligator had broken out of his new home after scaling a side wall in the exhibit. "Reggie's a crafty alligator," Zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs said.
© The Edmonton Journal 2007