Alligator in pond prompts 911 calls, Arizona city says. It’s not what it seems

CLARIFICATION: Mesa parks officials clarified to McClatchy News that one foam alligator and one foam crocodile can be found at Riverview Park.

The updated story is below.

Visitors to a Mesa park are calling 911 to report an alligator lurking in the water — but there’s no cause for alarm, according to Arizona city officials.

The gator at Riverview Park isn’t real.

“If you look at it long enough, it doesn’t move,” Mesa Parks and Recreation Director Andrea Moore told KPNX. “They’re made out of foam so they float.”

Parks officials recently installed a faux alligator and islands to provide more places for birds and turtles to sun themselves, The Arizona Republic reported.

“We’ve had several people calling us and emailing us about it,” Mesa Parks spokesperson Maria Godinez told the publication. “Everyone was like, ‘You all need to call the police right now!’”

Some worried visitors to the park have called 911 on the gator themselves.

“I’m at Riverview Park and I think there’s an alligator,” one caller told 911, according to KSAZ. “No, it’s just kind of hanging out.”

“It actually bit my boyfriend’s fishing line and we had to cut it,” another 911 caller reported.

Other visitors also found the foam alligator a little too convincing.

“It looks so stinking real,” park visitor Diane Fuerte told AZ Family. “It does. It freaks me out because I hate alligators. I hate them.”

But others find the alligator, along with a foam crocodile, refreshing additions to the park.

“I think they are cool,” Dorris Gorge told AZ Family. “I think they should put in more, maybe two more so people walking around can see it in other sections.”

Parks officials told McClatchy News they added two foam hippo heads as of Thursday, Feb. 14.

Mesa is about 20 miles east of Phoenix.

This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 7:42 AM with the headline "Alligator in pond prompts 911 calls, Arizona city says. It’s not what it seems."