Passers-by had to be left with a little scare. Alligators inhabit Florida and the tropical and humid south-east of the United States: much further north, in New York, one of these reptiles was found alive, but in a very bad condition, in a park in Brooklyn, a announced the city on Monday. The extremely rare discovery of the animal, probably abandoned by its owner, was made on 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.
Rangers of the megacity’s green spaces pulled the alligator out of the water – 1.2m 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 naming or finding the person responsible for the incongruous presence in the city of the alligator, the green spaces service warned that “releasing animals in New York parks is illegal”.
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The animal, accustomed to “hot and tropical climates”, probably suffered “thermal 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 domestic or not.” This “can be dangerous for walkers (…), cause the disappearance of natural species and alter the quality of the water”.
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 some 500 animal health reports a year.