Video Shows Alligator Floating Through Illinois Waterpark’s Lazy River

It's a couple of weeks past swimming pool season in the Midwest, and that's a good thing for one waterpark in Illinois that had an alligator in their lazy river.

According to the video by the Scoville Zoo in Decatur, Illinois, the 39-year-old alligator known as G spent some time in the Splash Cove waterpark's lazy river, as the last swimmer of the season.

Splash Cove said the last human visitors at the park were there several weeks ago, so the chlorine has burned off of the water naturally enough for it to be safe for the reptile to take the dip.

The video, shared to Facebook shows G floating through the lazy river, crawling along the bottom of the water.

"He loved freshening up on his swimming skills, floating in the river current, and let us know that he enjoyed his trip to the lazy river by refusing to leave," the post said.

"G finally decided to come out and then basked in the sun on the concrete deck for a few minutes before safely venturing back to his home at Scovill Zoo."

The zoo and waterpark said they hope they can make this an annual outing for the gator, who seemed like he had an absolute blast.

"G is 39 years old, weighs in at 300 pounds, and is 12 feet long. 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," the zoo wrote. "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!"

Get our free mobile app