He was snaggletoothed, the color of dirty Ivory Soap and ate tons of rats, but the Bay Area loved him just the same. R.I.P. Claude the albino alligator, taken too soon this December at age 30.
On Jan. 18, the institution that held the Louisiana-born beast for 17 years – the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco – will hold a celebration in his honor in Golden Gate Park. It’s thought there are fewer than 200 albino alligators in the world, and this memorial will pay tribute to Claude equally rare accomplishment: the “power of ambassador animals to connect people to nature and stoke curiosity to learn more about the world around us,” as the academy has put it.
The free event will feature stories, speeches and performances, as well as activities for all ages of alligator enthusiasts. Maybe you’ll learn that Claude loved to hang out on a warm rock with his close buds, a trio of snapping turtles, or that he loved back scratches and eating fish heads and previously frozen rats (“ratsicles”). For anybody who can’t make it, the celebration will be live-streamed; check the academy’s event page for details.
Details: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan 18 (rain or shine) at the Golden Gate Bandshell near 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco; free, calacademy.org/events/special-events/claude-forever-a-celebration-of-life
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