Our long reptilian nightmare is over — they caught Reggie this afternoon.

The alligator dumped in Machado Lake way back in ought five — and originally thought to be a caiman — was nabbed on dry land by park rangers, firefighters and a zoo worker. They exploited his appetite for chicken and set a trap. The capture opened the way for the exclamation of the year from an excited Councilwoman Janice Hahn: "I’m touching the gator right now!"

They fenced him in, got duct tape around his neck to close his mouth, covered his eyes and piled on top of him, Hahn said. After catching him a little after 3 p.m., they put him in a truck bound for the Los Angeles Zoo.

Hahn estimated Reggie was about 6 or 7 feet long, and she described him as both “soft” and “slimy.”

At least they think it's Reggie. Could be just another Lake Machado alligator, you know.

Coverage: Breeze, CBS 2, NBC 4, ABC 7, Fox 11