MESA, Ariz. – There’s some fear and confusion at a park in Mesa, Arizona, where a fake alligator is now prompting calls to police.
FOX 10 in Phoenix first reported about the fake gator spotted floating around the lake at Riverview Park on Feb. 8. The gator apparently looked so real that Mesa Police officials say they are getting 911 calls about them.
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“I’m at Riverview Park, and I think there’s an alligator,” one 911 caller said. “No, it’s just kind of hanging out.”
“Yeah, there’s like three live alligators in here,” another 911 caller said.
“You said there’s three of them?” a 911 dispatcher asked.
“Yeah, there’s one under the bridge. Right now, I’m just looking at one that’s swimming around,” the caller replied.
One person even claimed the gator bit a fishing line.
“It actually bit my boyfriend’s fishing line, and we had to cut it,” the caller said.
Mesa city officials want everyone to know that the reptiles are made of foam and are not real. They were put in the lake to give birds and turtles a place to hang out, and soak up some sun. They’re meant to help the turtle population, which often struggles to reach the shore.
The City of Mesa is expected to add a couple of foam hippos to the lake in the next few weeks.