Alligators inhabit Florida and the tropical and humid southeastern United States: Much further north, in New York, one of these reptiles was found alive but in very poor condition in a park in Brooklyn, the city said on Monday.
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The extremely rare discovery of the animal, which was likely abandoned by its owner, was made Sunday morning in the pond of Prospect Park, the borough’s large green lung, according to a press release with supporting photos from the New York Parks and Recreation Department became .
Park attendants in the metropolis pulled the 1.2 meter long alligator “in poor condition and very lethargic,” the statement said.
“Fortunately no one was hurt and the animal is being observed,” he was immediately sent to the Bronx Zoo, another borough of New York.
Without naming or finding the person responsible for the alligator’s incongruous presence in the city, the Parks Service warned that “releasing animals into New York City parks is illegal.”
Accustomed to “hot and tropical climates,” the animal likely suffered “thermal shock” in the frigid waters of Prospect Park’s pond, despite a comfortable 10 degrees on Sunday morning in New York.
“Parks are not suitable habitats for these types of animals, whether domestic or not.” This “can be dangerous for hikers (…), lead to the disappearance of natural species and alter water quality”.
The last reported discovery of this species of reptile in New York dates back to June 2001, when authorities, the press and the curious spent five days capturing a stray caiman in Central Park.
New York Rangers respond to approximately 500 animal health reports annually.