The annual year-end cleaning of the alligator pond at the Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden in Higashi Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture was held on December 26.  

The pond is home to 100 alligators and crocodiles of 15 different species from around the world.  

This annual cleaning has become a seasonal tradition that has continued for over 50 years since the facility opened.  

10 staff members entered the pond after the water had been drained, and brushed the backs of the American alligators, which are 2.5 meters long and weigh about 150 kilograms.  

Yamamoto Tomoaki, Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden: It's like the end of the year, and when this work is finished, I feel like the year's events are over. 

The alligators and crocodiles were ready to greet the New Year, cleansed of the dirt of the past year and made completely clean.