Alligators inhabit Florida and the humid, tropical southeast of the United States: much further north, in New York, one of these reptiles was found alive, but in very poor condition, in a Brooklyn park, a announced the city on Monday. The extremely rare discovery of the animal, probably abandoned by its owner, was made Sunday morning in the pond of Prospect Park, the great green lung of the borough of Brooklyn, announced in a press release, supporting photos, New York Parks and Recreation Department.
Park rangers in the megacity pulled the alligator out of the water (1.2 meters long) “in poor condition and very lethargic”, according to the statement. “Fortunately no one was injured and the animal is under observation”, immediately sent to the Bronx zoo, another borough of New York Without designating or finding the person responsible for the incongruous presence in the city of the alligator, the service of Green Spaces warned that “releasing animals into New York City parks is illegal.”
The animal, accustomed to “hot, tropical climates”, likely experienced “heat shock” in the cold water of the Prospect Park pond, even though it was a pleasant 10 degrees Sunday morning in New York. “Parks are not suitable habitats for this type of animal, whether domesticated or not.” This “can be dangerous for walkers […], destroy natural species and alter water quality”.
The last publicized discovery in New York of this type of reptile dates back to June 2001 when authorities, the press and the curious spent five days following the capture of a stray caiman in Central Park. New York rangers respond to approximately 500 animal health reports a year.
