Mountain Lake Park

In October 1996, a male alligator, 3 feet 2 inches (0.97 m) in length, was removed from Mountain Lake by San Francisco Zoo associate curator John Aikin.[6] The alligator, nicknamed "Golden Gator" by a reader poll in the San Francisco Examiner[6] over other potential names such as "Van Nessie", "Presidio Domingo", "Purse Futura", "Boots", "Chewmanchew" and "Darth Gator",[7] was first reported by a retired architect and birdwatcher, Dan Bushnell, in August 1996.[8] Neighborhood rumors, which had been circulating for weeks by August, said the alligator was dumped by a former owner.[8]

The hunt for the alligator quickly became a good-natured publicity contest between the city's two daily newspapers, the Chronicle and the Examiner.[9][10] The Chronicle attempted to catch the alligator along with officials from the National Park Service and Zoo curators, but received ridicule from professional alligator hunters, who said the apparatus that had been used (a salmon net) was unsuitable and offered advice.[11] One of the professional hunters, Jimmie Long, stated that he would be able to catch the alligator within 15 minutes[11] and the Chronicle sponsored a trip for him and his wife to fly to San Francisco to hunt the alligator. The Examiner responded by sending executive editor Phil Bronstein and reporter Dennis Opatrny, outfitted in wet suits, to try to humanely capture the reptile first, as Long was noted to make his living by selling captured alligators for their hide and meat.[12]

Since there was no official alligator agency in California, Mayor Willie Brown gave verbal permission for Long to proceed.[13] Long, a licensed alligator control agent, brought his own gator lures and gear, including a fishing pole and line with a triple hook.[14] The first night, Long called the alligator using a call he learned from his father, but the alligator did not respond.[13][7] While at the Zoo during the second day to strategize, Long mentioned that he had never been to a major league baseball game, which was misreported by a local television station that he was at a ballgame while the alligator made an unexpected appearance in the lake.[13] The afternoon of the second day, Bronstein and Opatrny were turned back from the water's edge by San Francisco Police Sgt. Mike Dempsey, who cited a city regulation prohibiting swimming in the lake.[12][7][15] The second night, the crowds gathered around the lake and provided a sufficient distraction so the shy reptile did not appear. Long announced he was done for the night, but returned to the lake after midnight and the crowds had dispersed, with no luck.[13] On the third day, the alligator made an appearance but stayed in the reeds and only approached to within 40 yards (37 m). Long cast his hook, but the alligator ignored it and went back under cover.[13] Eventually, Long was unable to catch the alligator after three days of searching.[16] As he was returning home, Long, who had previously toured local sights during his stay, expressed appreciation, regret, and confusion saying "San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world. I can't wait to get home. And I don't believe I will ever understand the newspaper business."[13]

Longtime Chronicle columnist Herb Caen weighed in with two suggested names, "Da Croc" and "Herb Cayman."[17] KBAE, a radio station in Horseshoe Bay, Texas broadcast frequent updates on the alligator and one of the listeners, Shelli Spruiell, wrote new lyrics to Elton John's song "Crocodile Rock" in homage.[6][18] Worried the cold weather might spell the creature's doom,[7] the Examiner reassured readers that as long as it truly was an alligator, not a caiman, it would survive the winter in San Francisco.[19] Both the Chronicle and Examiner were criticized for drumming up too much publicity, which made catching the alligator more difficult, and for wasting resources on covering a relatively unimportant story.[10]

After his removal from Mountain Lake, Golden Gator was temporarily housed at the San Francisco Zoo in a heated pond,[9] converted from a monkey cage in the primate center,[20] where he was measured and sexed.[6] In December 1996, Golden Gator was flown to New Orleans,[9] where he was released into the 500-acre (200 ha) Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center managed by the Audubon Nature Institute.[21] The alligator's departure from the Zoo was marked by cake and a greeting card.[20]

Another famous animal resident of Mountain Lake was Myrtle, a non-native whooper swan who was flightless after being pinioned.[22] Myrtle was well known in the neighborhood for disrupting traffic while crossing Lake Street and stealing snacks from the nearby Lake Market at 12th and Lake.[22] Other antics included visiting regular park patrons, watching tennis players, and attending picnics.[23] San Francisco Zoo officials believed the swan had imprinted on people sometime in the past.[23] Her last human "mate" was local resident Chuck Lantz, who lives next to Mountain Lake Park.[22] Shortly after dawn each morning Myrtle would loudly "whoop" at his back door, moving around the block and up his stairs until he responded and walked her back to the park.

In 1992, Myrtle was noted to have resided at the park since at least 1985. A local transient claimed to have moved Myrtle from the Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District to Mountain Lake Park after seeing her being harassed by a group of young men.[23] Myrtle was transported from the park to the Zoo in February 1992 to convalesce from an apparent bite wound on the neck, possibly caused by dogs or raccoons.[23] Myrtle's removal to the Zoo was preceded by the removal of two swans from the park in 1991.[23]

While visibly ill in June 1997, Myrtle was again removed from the park to the Zoo without incident, and she was subsequently treated for lead poisoning and a fungal infection in her lungs.[22] While the lake was being treated to remove lead in the sediment, Myrtle was moved in November 1997 to a temporary refuge at E and T Waterfowl, a ranch north of Sebastopol.[24][25]