9NEWS
9NEWS REPORTER NOEL BRENNAN AND PHOTOJOURNALIST TOM COLE BRING
US BACK TO THE DENVER ZOO ON
THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CAPTURE
OF THE INFAMOUS ALLIGATOR.
>> HERE IS STAUBY ON THE RIGHT
EATING OUT OF A BROWN BASKET.
>> Reporter: FOR THE WHO'S WHO
OF THE ZOO, CELEBRITY STATUS
IS SHORT-LIVED.
IS SHORT-LIVED. A LOUNGE IN THE LIMELIGHT.
>> KUNI AND TUNDRA ARE TWO
RESCUE GRIZZLIES.
RESCUE GRIZZLIES. >> Reporter: THEY HOPE TO LIVE
LONG AND PROSPER.
>> THAT'S SPOCK.
>> Reporter: BUT, FAME WILL
FADE UNTIL THERE IS NO ONE LEFT
TO REMEMBER EXCEPT FOR THE GUY
ABOUT TO RETIRE.
>> THIS WILL BE MY LAST DAY
AFTER 40 YEARS OF WORKING AT
THE DENVER ZOO.
>> Reporter: RICK HEFNER HAS A
CAREER OF ZOO STORIES.
>> WHAT WE CALL WAR STORIES.
YEAH.
YEAH.
YEAH. >>
YEAH. >> Reporter: IT'S NOT OFTEN
HE'S ASKED ABOUT A NAME.
>> IT'S ALBERT.
>> Reporter: MADE FAMOUS DURING
THE SUMMER OF 1981.
>> THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IT
HAS COME UP FROM AN OUTSIDE
SOURCE.
SOURCE.
SOURCE. >> Reporter: RICK WAS A KEEPER
WHO LOOKED AFTER THE
ALLIGATORS.
ALLIGATORS. >> AT THAT TIME WE HAD BROUGHT
IN FOUR ALLIGATORS FROM THE
CYAN MOUNTAIN ZOO.
>> Reporter: JUNE 17th WAS THE
GREAT GATOR ESCAPE.
>> AND I CAME IN AND THERE WERE
ONLY THREE ALLIGATORS.
>> Reporter: THE SMALLEST HAD
SCALED A FOUR FOOT FENCE.
>> USED THE CORNER WITH BOTH
FEET ON EITHER SIDE.
>> Reporter: HE WANDERED TO THE
WATER.
WATER.
WATER. >>
WATER. >> THIS IS CALLED DUCK LAKE.
>> Reporter: BETWEEN THE ZOO
AND CITY PARK.
>> ONE OF THE KEEPERS LOOKING
OUT ON THIS LAKE THAT SITS
BEHIND ME NOTICED THAT HE SAW
THE EYES AND SNOUT OF THE
MISSING ALLIGATOR.
MISSING ALLIGATOR. >> Reporter: AS WORD SPREAD,
PEOPLE CAME HERE TO THE LAKE TO
WATCH.
WATCH.
WATCH. IN
WATCH. IN PERSON, AND FROM HOME.
AS WE COVERED THIS STORY.
DAY --
DAY --
DAY -- >>
DAY -- >> THEY STILL WANT TO CATCH
ALBERT.
ALBERT.
ALBERT. >> Reporter: -- AFTER DAY,
AFTER DAY.
AFTER DAY. >> GOING BACK IN TIME.
GATOR SPOTTED IN DUCK POND IN
CITY PARK.
CITY PARK. >> DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE
CITY PARK GENTLE -- JUNGLE
LURKS THE SLIPPERY SERPENT.
>> IS AN ALLIGATOR A SERPENT?
>> TAKE NUMBER 634.
>> Reporter: WE SUDDENLY
STARTED HEARING THIS NAME ON
NEWSCAST.
NEWSCAST.
NEWSCAST. >> CROWDS AT THE ZOO HAVE GROWN
THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS AND IT
APPEARS THAT ALBERT IS THE
REASON.
REASON.
REASON. >> LATER I HEARD SOMEBODY ON
THE NEWS MEDIA CAME UP WITH THE
NAME FROM A CARTOON STRIP.
>> ALBERT IS STILL AT LARGE.
>> THERE WERE NEWS BULLETINS
ABOUT WHETHER ALBERT HAD BEEN
CAUGHT OR SEEN.
>> Reporter: ZOO EMPLOYEES CAME
AT ALBERT THE ALLIGATOR WITH
NETS, POLLS, AND INTER-TUBES.
>> AS SOON AS YOU WOULD GET
CLOSE, THE ALLIGATOR WOULD
SIMPLY SUBMERSED AND YOU WOULD
NOT BE ABLE TO CATCH HIM.
>> OH, ALBERT.
>> YES, WE STARTED CALLING HIM
ALBERT.
ALBERT.
ALBERT. >> Reporter: AN ALLIGATOR
ADORED TO THE DISMAY OF HIS
POND MATES.
POND MATES. >> IN FACT, HE ALMOST GOT A
DUCK IN MIDAIR, ALMOST LANDING
ON HIS BACK THE OTHER DAY.
>> HE WAS A ROCK STAR BECAUSE
HE RECEIVED SUCH MEDIA
ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. IN SHORT ORDER.
IN A MATTER OF A COUPLE OF
DAYS.
DAYS.
DAYS. >>
DAYS. >> Reporter: SOMEONE SHOULD
MARKET THIS.
MARKET THIS. >> ON SALE THIS WEEKEND, THE
FREE ALBERT T-SHIRT.
>> Reporter: A NUMBER OF US SAT
DOWN AND THOUGHT ABOUT ALBERT
AND SAID, WHAT IS ALBERT DOING?
HE IS TRYING TO GET FREE, LIKE
EVERYONE ELSE, BEAT THE SYSTEM.
ALBERT BEAT THE KEEPERS FOR
WEEKS.
WEEKS.
WEEKS. >>
WEEKS. >> WILL THEY GET HIM TODAY?
>> Reporter: NOT UNTIL THE
MORNING OF THE 28th DAY.
WHEN RICK MADE THE CATCH OF HIS
CAREER.
CAREER.
CAREER. ♪
CAREER. ♪ ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪ >>
♪ ♪ >> MYSELF AND ANOTHER KEEPER
WENT OUT TO THE ISLAND, KIND OF
JUMPED ON HIM AND I HELP THEM
DOWN, AND THEN THE KEEPER TO
CALL BACK AND GOT SOME TAPE AND
ROPE TO TIE HIM UP AND PUT THEM
IN THE BOAT AND HE WAS BACK.
>> Reporter: THE END OF
ALBERT'S RAIN ON EVENING NEWS
WAS JUST THE START OF RICK'S
CAREER.
CAREER.
CAREER. >> YOU DO SOMETHING FOR SO LONG
THAT IT BECOMES A BIG PIECE OF
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. >>
YOU. >> Reporter: A RETIREE'S WAR
STORIES REFER SURFACED FROM
TIME TO TIME.
THE BEST ONES TEND TO LINGER
LIKE A GATOR IN A DUCK POND.
>> 27 DAYS OF PLAYING GATOR.