Did You Know This Eastern Iowa College Has Alligators?

No, this isn't Florida, where alligators occasionally wander into yards and pools. But a college campus in Eastern Iowa is an odd place to find alligators, and the history of the animals at the school goes back decades.

The University of Northern Iowa 'Alligators'?

UNI is home to two alligators. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the first, named Steve I. Gator, came to the school in 2005 after being purchased from a licensed breeder in Ohio. Since then, he has been cared for by UNI biology professor Jeff Tamplin. According to the Gazette, a 2007 Iowa law banned the ownership and breeding of dangerous animals, but provisions in the law allowed UNI to keep Steve.

The second gator was rescued by UNI after it was illegally ordered in the mail! The Gazette reports that the alligator was named Wally Gator, and through sheer coincidence, was from the same breeder as Steve. Wally recently outgrew his living quarters and was moved to a new, more spacious home.

UNI Has a History With Alligators

The first alligator to arrive on the UNI campus was named Ally, and she arrived in a shoebox in 1908! In 1939, the Gazette reports that the school acquired another alligator named Ally Jr. That same year, two more alligators named Ike and Mike showed up! Another alligator lived on campus in 1969 and was even voted 'Off Campus Men's Secretary.'

While UNI isn't going to be changing the name of its mascot to the Alligators, Steve and Wally are campus celebrities and have even started to recognize the volunteers who feed them! What do you feed a couple of Midwest alligators? The Gazette reports the two love thawed rats.