# How far has news about Reggie the Alligator traveled? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 20, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588 "2005-09-20T19:36:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588/1 "2005-09-20T19:36:22Z")
About a month ago a seven-foot-long alligator appeared in Machado Lake near the Los Angeles Harbor. Delighted patrons of the park have tossed him things like tortillas and Pop Tarts, and crews of people from Florida–who have yet to capture him–have been throwing him pieces of raw chicken. He was apparently dumped there by two men who have since been arrested for keeping wild aminals illegally (California law prohibits the keeping of alligators in private homes.) He has been named “Reggie.” How far away has news of this critter traveled? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588/2 "2005-09-20T19:41:03Z")
I heard about it here in Florida, but via the Jim Rome show. Came in part way in the middle and was never really certain what they were talking about. Gators are not such a big deal here, 'cept when they whip up on Vols, Dawgs, 'Noles, etc. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588/3 "2005-09-20T19:49:25Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I heard about it here in Florida, but via the Jim Rome show. Came in part way in the middle and was never really certain what they were talking about. Gators are not such a big deal here, 'cept when they whip up on Vols, Dawgs, 'Noles, etc. I guess not; Florida, after all, is alligators’ natural habitat; Harbor City, CA, is not. A lot of people would rather leave him be; but he is a potential danger to people using the park, especially, I suppose, children and the infirm. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588/4 "2005-09-20T19:58:35Z")
I heard abhout it here in Massachusetts but I read all kinds of national news sites. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588/5 "2005-09-20T20:31:22Z")
I coulda sworn I posted a thread about this weeks ago – but I can’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588/6 "2005-09-20T20:48:32Z")
I thought he was already caught but I see now that that was a hoax. [http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/13/gator.lake.ap/index.html?section=cnn\_topstories](http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/13/gator.lake.ap/index.html?section=cnn_topstories) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2005, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588/7 "2005-09-20T23:36:10Z")
Ah-Ha! Thought I’d statred one. Here it is: > **[Wranglers Nab L.A.'s Elusive Urban Gator](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=334745)** > > That’s the headline on Yahoo: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050913/ap\_on\_re\_us/gator\_lake ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-far-has-news-about-reggie-the-alligator-traveled/322588/8 "2005-09-21T00:19:39Z")
The hoax stuff was linked to by Fark. Which means it is really quite well known among the funkier Internet folk.