L.A. Zoo Says Former Pasadena Humane Society Alligator Tina is Getting Along Famously With Her New Roommate, Reggie

It’s a happy ending for Tina, Pasadena’s own resident reptile until August of last year when the Pasadena Humane Society decided to move her to the Los Angeles Zoo, who reportedly is getting along swimmingly with Reggie, the male American alligator who had been living a bachelor’s life in the Zoo since 2007.

Zoo officials are reporting that the pair have grown close and are now happily sharing the same habitat – a Louisiana-inspired swamp with a pool, waterfall, ficus trees and plenty of shade. The pair recently awoke from brumation, a hibernation-like state that cold-blooded animals utilize during very cold weather, earlier this month and can be seen swimming, floating, and sunning themselves on the rocks together.

“This is really the best case scenario when introducing two alligators who are used to living alone,” said Ian Recchio, L.A. Zoo’s Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians. “It was a labor intensive process helping these two alligators grow comfortable with each other, and it required a lot of patience from the animal keepers as they kept a close eye on the pair. But Reggie and Tina have come a long way since August, and we can already see how positively guests are responding to the fact that Reggie now has a roommate.”

The Pasadena Humane Society decided to let go of the approximately 100-pound Tina after she had spent 18 years in a specially-built 150-square-foot enclosed pond area equipped with a drizzling waterfall.

The nearly seven-foot-long alligator came to Pasadena in 1998 as part of a traveling wildlife education program. After the owners failed to get proper permits in California, Tina and the other animals ended up at the humane society in what was supposed to be a temporary situation. The other animals were eventually adopted, but Tina was unable to find placement outside of the shelter.

As she started to outgrow her habitat, the Pasadena Humane Society decided that she should move to the L.A. Zoo.

Both alligators are believed to be more than 20 years old. Before Reggie was apprehended in 2007 and brought to the L.A. Zoo, he had earned worldwide attention as the elusive alligator living in Lake Machado in Harbor City. He had been kept illegally by a private citizen who then set him loose in the lake.

After avoiding capture for two years, Reggie was apprehended on May 24, 2007 with assistance from Recreation and Parks officials and members of the Fire and Police departments.

Although this pair aren’t meant to breed, there is still a lot that guests at the L.A. Zoo can learn about wild animals native to the United States by observing Reggie and Tina.

“The L.A. Zoo has almost always had male and female pairs of alligators on display since it opened 50 years ago, and now we are lucky to have a pair on exhibit again,” said Recchio. “There is a significant difference in size between males and females, and our visitors might get lucky and witness some of the amazing behaviors these crocodilians display as a pair.”

Native to wetlands throughout the southeastern United States, American alligators have large, slightly rounded bodies with thick limbs, broad heads, and powerful tails. Males can grow up to 14 feet in length, while females can reach eight feet in length.

In 1967, alligators were listed as an endangered species. However, combined efforts by federal and state wildlife agencies have saved these unique animals. Today, although no longer endangered, the American alligator’s greatest threat is humans, habitat destruction, and water pollution.