2022 is the year of the alligator.  This big green guy was living his best life in the lazy river.

We've seen so many stories of strange alligator sightings in the Midwest this year.  An alligator was spotted in the Kalamazoo River near Albion College this summer.  In August a man found an alligator in a sewage pond just North East of Grand Rapids.  We can't forget about the police chase that ended with law enforcement finding an alligator in the trunk of the suspect's car in Lake County, Michigan. So yeah, it's the year of the alligator in the Midwest.

This, however, is an entirely different situation.  The 300-pound gator that was living his best life in the lazy river at Splash Cove in Decatur, Illinois was put there intentionally.  The Gator goes by the name 'G'.  G is a 39-year-old, 12-foot-long alligator that lives at the Scovill Zoo.  So, why is he at a water park?  Sadly, the gator hasn't experienced life outside of a tiny enclosure according to the Scovill Zoo facebook page,

G has never ventured too far out of his enclosure and definitely has not been submerged in more than a few feet of water before. His dedicated keepers have been looking for ways to enrich G's life and provide more experiences for him, so they took him for a swim!

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G the gator absolutely loved his time at the lazy river.  So much so, the Scovill Zoo is hoping to make this an annual event.

Side note: The water park made sure the chlorine had burned off before allowing the alligator into the water for the reptile's safety.

Now we go from alligators in the Midwest region of the United States to the Crocodile Lodge in Australia.

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