San Francisco says goodbye to beloved albino alligator Claude

SAN FRANCISCO — A rare albino alligator named Claude who was beloved by fans around the world died Tuesday, according to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

SAN FRANCISCO — A rare albino alligator named Claude who was beloved by fans around the world died Tuesday, according to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. He was 30.

The science museum in Golden Gate Park is popular with Bay Area schoolchildren and international tourists, and many kids over the years have ended their visits clutching a mini Claude stuffed animal to take home. As an unofficial mascot of the museum and the city, Claude appeared in a children’s book and in ads at bus and light-rail stations.

The alligator icon had a “quiet charisma” that captivated hearts in his 17 years in San Francisco, the museum said in a statement. It has also said there are fewer than 200 albino alligators in the world.

“Claude showed us the power of ambassador animals to connect people to nature and stoke curiosity to learn more about the world around us,” it said.

Claude hatched in 1995 at an alligator farm in Louisiana, and came to live at the Academy in 2008. He was born with albinism, a genetic mutation that made him appear white. His eyes looked pinkish-red because of blood vessels that were visible through his clear irises.