MESA, Ariz. — There's something new in the water at a popular park in Mesa and it's gaining a lot of attention.
“People call and tell us, ‘Hey, did we know we had an alligator in the lake,'" Mesa Parks and Recreation Director Andrea Moore said. "Another one thought we had a dead alligator and we needed to come get it out."
Moore does know there are alligators in the lake at Riverview Park. She's the one who put them there.
But people don't need to be afraid.
"If you look at it long enough, it doesn't move," Moore said.
The alligators are fake.
“They’re made out of foam so they float," Moore said.
Moore told 12News the city placed fake alligators and islands in the water in December 2023 for the creatures who live inside the lake.
“We have about 30 turtles here, and they didn’t have a way to get out and get back into the lake to warm up," Moore said. "The islands and the alligators help them do that.”
Moore said it's an added bonus that park visitors are also getting a kick out of them.
“It’s fun. It’s something for people to talk about and they’re certainly doing that," Moore said.
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