Fugitive alligator turns local hero

More than a week after a man-sized alligator stunned authorities by surfacing in a murky Los Angeles lake, the fugitive reptile has already become a folk hero in the gritty neighbourhood where he continues to outwit wranglers and elude captors.

Dozens of residents gathered on the shore of Lake Machado on Thursday, sitting in lawn chairs or scanning the water with binoculars, as park rangers with nets waited for the two-metre alligator to rise from the muck.

"We're pretty confident weีll be able to catch him,ำ park ranger Albert Jedinak said as he stared at the calm surface of the lake.าHe was actually in the net once but unfortunately we didnีt have the boat ready."

Meanwhile, one woman deployed her two young sons to work the crowd, hawking $10 T-shirts bearing an alligator picture with the words: "Harbour City You Will Never Catch Me."

The alligator, which was chased around the 53-acre lake for much of the week by a professional าgator wranglerำ from Colorado, however, did not make an appearance. It was last spotted on Wednesday night.

The wrangler and his crew returned to Colorado on Thursday to secure larger nets. He vowed to return next week and bag his prey.

Authorities believe the alligator was probably once an exotic pet that was abandoned when it grew too large. Alligators are not indigenous to California.

They say they were surprised to discover the reptile basking in the lake in the centre of the city park. They suspect it had been living there for about two months, dining on scraps left behind by fishermen and bread intended for the birds.

"I don't think you could say they couldn't catch the alligator for lack of effort," said local Paul Smith.