… City, a haven for birds and native plants. But in the summer of 2005, the lake was a polluted watering hole, encircled with overgrown vegetation and teeming with frogs, birds and carp. , the zoo's reptile curator: canny, omnivorous, adept at snatching food and avoiding predators. … Khan / Los Angeles Times) It was August, and the coldblooded animal's energy was at its peak. When Reggie came to a chain-link fence more than 4 feet tall — one that “alligators really shouldn't be able to get over,” Recchio said — he started …