Sam Amico
It was not a typical day in Brooklyn, given that they found an alligator and all. In fact, you could make the case that it was like a day unlike any other.
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After all, how often do you find an alligator near New York City?
The answer is probably once — but that is exactly what happened, with authorities pulling the 4-foot-long reptile from Brooklyn’s Prospect Lake.
How did it get there? Well, no one is really sure. Suspicions are that it belonged to someone as a pet, and that someone decided they no longer wanted it.
Either way, Dan Kastanis, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, told Business Insider that the alligator was found near where children tend to play.
Unwanted Pet?
“Thankfully, no one was harmed, and the animal is being evaluated,” Kastanis said. “In this case, the animal was found very lethargic and possibly cold-shocked since it is native to warm, tropical climates.”
For the record, releasing wild beasts such as alligators in New York City parks is highly illegal. This particular gator is now being tended to at the Bronx Zoo as the investigation continues.
“In addition to the potential danger to park goers, this could have caused, releasing non-indigenous animals or unwanted pets can lead to the elimination of native species and unhealthy water quality,” Kastanis said, via Insider.
The gator was fairly subdued once discovered.
“In this case, the animal was found very lethargic and possibly cold-shocked since it is native to warm, tropical climates,” Meghan Lalor, a rep for the Parks Department, told the New York Post.
