Gator gets fish from Town Lake

by Kevin Tripp/KTAR (July 23rd, 2010 @ 2:41pm)

TEMPE, Ariz. - For a hungry alligator named Tuesday, it was bon appétit.

The 6-foot, bred-in-captivity alligator from the Phoenix Herpetological Society, was the beneficiary of some of the dead fish, mostly carp, that were left in a dried up Tempe Town Lake.

• Click here for photos of Tuesday

The fish that didn't make it down the Salt River when a rubber dam burst earlier this week were left behind to die in shallow pools now covering the bottom of the drying lake.

A crew was hired to come in and scoop up the fish and some of those were on Friday's menu.

Other alligators at the Phoenix Herpetological Society will also get to feast on the fish.

"It saves us from having to buy an awful lot of food," said Russ Johnson with the Herpetological Society.

"Game & Fish and the lake people have graciously allowed us to collect freshly died off meat so we can feed these, and then we'll take the rest of the fish home and we'll be freezing them."

Friday's gator feeding frenzy took place at 11 a.m. outside the Tempe Center for the Arts.

(Copyright 2010 Bonneville International Corporation. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.)

Last 3 Comments

  • Reply Abuse Vote
    Who paid for that "crew"?
    Steve C
    I find no lack of imagination when it comes to wasteful government spending! Pick ANY situation and suddenly government HAS to get involved and spend taxpayers hard earned money! When will we WAKE UP?
  • Reply Abuse Vote
    Feeding the gator...
    Michi-chan
    Actually since this town lake has been around, us who live on the north shore have been "feeding the gator" the whole time with increased property taxes as a result of the speculation, road closures, a foul odor near the lake, mosquitos and respiratory problems.. I hope they leave it drained.. TTL is a failure and a sign of the real estate speculation debacle of the last decade and a monument to municipal greed. Time to let it be. Good riddance.
  • Reply Abuse Vote
    TGI Friday's Menu?
    Jshope
    "A crew was hired to come in and scoop up the fish and some of those are on Friday's menu."
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