MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD (California) 17 June 06 Catch you later, you wily alligator - Experts think lost pet is sleeping (Robert Jablon)
Los Angeles (A): Where's Reggie?
The elusive alligator who became the hero of song, shirt and short story hasn't been seen since last fall, but officials are ready to try more trapping if it rises from the reeds around Harbor Regional Park's Lake Machado.
TV's ''Crocodile Hunter'' Steve Irwin has offered his services for free, hoping to succeed where eight other wranglers have failed.
''He said he thought maybe he was going to be the successful crocodile hunter,'' said City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, whose district includes the lake. ''He was willing to stake his reputation on catching Reggie.''
''Between you and me, my money's on the gator,'' she said.
Reggie was an illegal pet allegedly tossed into the 50-acre urban lake by a former Los Angeles policeman when it got too big.
Experts say the alligator hibernated through the winter and is about ready to wake up -- if it hasn't already.
City workers placed a cage in the water and have been baiting it with chicken.
''So far, no nibbles,'' Hahn said.
Russ Smith, curator of reptiles at the Los Angeles Zoo, said Southern California's pre-summer ''June gloom'' of alternating hot and cool weather may delay the end of Reggie's hibernation until July. Alligators at the zoo are only now starting to perk up, he said.
Reggie was last seen in October, but the lake is a bayoulike expanse ringed by water plants and dense marshy spots where an alligator can bask without being seen. The lake is full of fish, frogs and migrating birds for easy snacking.
''He can sit there as long as nobody bothers him and by that, I mean years,'' said Tim Williams, an expert from Gatorland in Florida whose crew failed last year to catch Reggie.
Even though it was raised as a pet, Reggie probably has learned from would-be captors to be wary of humans and that will make luring it even harder, Williams said.
''They're not dumb,'' he said. ''These animals have been around 20 million years and you're not around that length of time by being stupid.''
Reggie's size has been estimated at 5 feet to 7 feet long, which would make it a juvenile about 2 years old.
But if the alligator is really 7 or so, there's an easy way to tell if it's still in the lake. If Reggie is male and has reached adulthood, he won't just be hungry when he wakes up.
''They do bellow during the springtime, calling for a mate,'' the curator said. ''Kind of like a cross between a cow moo and a roar.''
Since being spotted in August, Reggie has become a celebrity. Reggie inspired a zydeco song, two children's books and innumerable T-shirts. Students at Los Angeles Harbor College next to the lake adopted Reggie as a second mascot.
There's a less whimsical side, though. Hahn estimated the city has spent more than $107,000 in overtime to make sure the lake is staffed to warn people of Reggie's presence.
The story of Los Angeles' mysterious urban alligator also went worldwide.
''People come up to me and ask, where's the alligator? I don't know,'' said Roger Cruz, 48, a Harbor City man who hangs around the park's day labor hiring center.
People buttonhole Hahn in elevators to ask about Reggie, the councilwoman said.
''When I go places, even when I'm giving a speech on port security or airport pollution or something, I guarantee you the first question from the audience is, 'Where's Reggie?''' Hahn said.
Although Smith said it was unlikely that Reggie poses a danger to humans unless bothered, the lake is surrounded by plastic fencing and signs in English and Spanish that say ''Warning! Keep out! Alligator sightings in this area!''
If captured, Reggie will be held at least temporarily at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Gatorland would be glad to have Reggie, Williams said.
''We'll give him a great home. We have about 2,500 alligators,'' he said. ''Everybody would love to see the old wily Reggie. He needs a place of honor, he really does.''
Experts think lost pet is sleeping