The Bronx Zoo said “Godzilla,” who was discovered in February in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, has died despite rounds of treatment. Photo courtesy Bronx Zoo
April 22 (UPI) — An alligator that was found abandoned in the cold waters of New York City’s Prospect Park in February is dead after being treated at the Bronx Zoo, staffers have announced.
The five-foot-long alligator made headlines when she was rescued in the borough of Brooklyn after park staff spotted her in Prospect Park’s lake.
Zoo staff said Friday the alligator, named “Godzilla,” suffered from an ulcer caused by a bath plug she had swallowed and had to be removed by veterinarians.
Godzilla also suffered from malnutrition, weighing 15 pounds when she was discovered, far less than the healthy weight of 30-35 pounds for an alligator her size. The alligator was unable to eat on her own and had to be fed via a tube.
At the time of Godzilla’s rescue, the Bronx Zoo said she was “slowly warmed to an appropriate ambient temperature and received supportive care,” including being tube-fed to provide her with nutrients as well as fluids, Vitamin B, antibiotics and antifungal medication.
Despite being treated with antibiotics and antifungals, Godzilla ultimately succumbed to skin and intestinal infections, Bronx Zoo staff said.
“This was a tragic case of animal abuse,” the zoo said in a statement. “Alligators and other wild animals do not belong in the pet trade or in people’s homes.
“This alligator suffered and died because its owner decided to dump her in a frigid lake, in an extremely debilitated state rather than provide her with the veterinary care that could have saved her.”