Click the image to advance. --- Claude, the beloved albino alligator of the California Academy of Sciences, has passed away due to liver cancer at the age of 30 on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025. --- Claude was an albino alligator born in 1955 in Louisiana, later transported and raised in Florida as a mercy as his albinism put him at a risk of death and a generally disadvantaged position otherwise. In 2008, he was moved to the California Academy of Sciences, serving as an educational emblem to spread environmental awareness to the children and general public; as it turned out, this was quite an effective strategy in terms of marketing, and he quickly became the charismatic, unofficial mascot of San Francisco. For seventeen years he captured hearts and encouraged young people towards environmental activism and exploration of earth science, and although it is disappointing he was unable to live the 70+ years possible for an American Alligator in captivity, his sustained presence at the CAoS certainly came to fruition. --- 1. never to be finished sketch 2. image of live claude ---
bro curated my childhood
