MESA, AZ — At ABC15, we have investigators who probe some of the most complex matters of our community in pursuit of the truth. So, when some in Mesa were doing double takes at Riverview Park when looking in the pond, we once again called on our investi-gators to look into what some thought were real alligators.
Mesa Parks and Recreation officials said the reptiles turning heads in a pond at their most popular park are not real – they’re made of styrofoam.
The city of Mesa says there’s an alligator, a crocodile, and two hippos in this lake. The hippos got loose but will be replaced soon, we’re told.
They’re put in water for turtles to climb up on them so they can sunbathe and safely get back in the water. The city says they’re anchored down, so they don't move.
The turtles were reportedly getting out along the banks of the pond, then finding their way on the street, leading to a small number of them dying or getting killed.
Some community members online have shared they thought the reptiles were real, and some have even called 911.
“I was like, 'Ahh!' But the I was like, 'oh it’s fake,'” said Caley on a Monday morning walk at the park.
”Leave them in place — we have them spaced further out so anglers don’t catch them with lines. Leave the turtles be, peacefully,” said Andrea Moore with Mesa Parks and Recreation.
