 The alligator, nicknamed "Golden Gator" by a reader poll in the "San Francisco Examiner" over other potential names such as "Van Nessie", "Presidio Domingo", "Purse Futura", "Boots", "Chewmanchew" and "Darth Gator", was first reported by a retired architect and birdwatcher, Dan Bushnell, in August 1996.Neighborhood rumors, which had been circulating for weeks by August, said the alligator was dumped by a former owner.The hunt for the alligator quickly became a good-natured publicity contest between the city's two daily newspapers, the "Chronicle" and the "Examiner".