Every year, the Big Apple embraces a longstanding urban myth by celebrating Alligator in the Sewer Day. And while those February 9 festivities may be somewhat tongue-in-cheek, just a little over a week later, a predatory reptile was indeed discovered in New York City – just not in the sewers.
Responding to reports of a gator sighting in a lake in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation indeed retrieved a four-foot-long alligator from the waters Sunday, according to WPIX-TV.
The creature was “very lethargic” and in a bad state.
The gator was first taken to Animal Care Centers of New York City before being brought to the Bronx Zoo to be nursed back to health, according to WNBC-TV.
“Parks are not suitable homes for animals not indigenous to those parks-domesticated or otherwise,” the Department of Parks said in a statement. “In addition to the potential danger to parkgoers this could have caused, releasing non-indigenous animals or unwanted pets can lead to the elimination of native species and unhealthy water quality.”
The New York Times reports that several former pet alligators are abandoned and rescued in New York City every year. Releasing animals into New York City parks is against the law.
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