Officials in Arizona recently shocked residents by placing a life-like foam alligator in a local pond.
The fake alligator was added to the water by the Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities department earlier this month, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. The foam reptile currently sits in the middle of Riverview Park in Mesa, where it is anchored.
The intention of the gator was not to terrify residents, but to create a spot for turtles and birds to gather. The pond’s turtles often have difficulty reaching shore, according to FOX 10.
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City officials have also placed a fake crocodile and two fake hippos in the pond as well, though the latter had untethered and drifted away.
Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department placed a realistic-looking foam alligator in a Riverview Park pond. (FOX 10 Phoenix)
Alligators are not native to the state, so the sight reportedly flabbergasted Arizonans.
The Mesa Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that it received three 911 calls about the fake reptiles in the pond.
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The fake alligator was placed to give birds and turtles a place to gather. (FOX 10 Phoenix)
“I’m at Riverview Park and I think there’s an alligator…it’s just kind of hanging out,” one caller said.
“There’s like three live alligators in here,” another person told police, according to FOX 10. “There’s one under the bridge. Right now, I’m just looking at one that’s swimming around.”
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Mesa’s wildlife appear to not be scared of the fake alligator as officials placed the realistic-looking reptile in the water so that ducks and other animals could have a place to relax. (FOX 10 Phoenix)
Another resident insisted that the fake alligator bit a fishing line.
“It actually bit my boyfriend’s fishing line, and we had to cut it,” the caller claimed.
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The life-like alligator is made of foam and is anchored in the pond. (FOX 10 Phoenix)
Fox News Digital reached out to the City of Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities for comment.
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