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'Tragic case of animal mistreatment': Rescued alligator that swallowed 4-inch bath stopper dies in NYC zoo

An official said, 'This alligator suffered and died because her owner chose to abandon her in a freezing lake'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: An abandoned and emaciated alligator found in a New York City lake and taken to the Bronx Zoo for rehabilitation died in a 'tragic case of animal mistreatment,' according to zoo officials. The zoo gave significant medical attention and nutritional support to the injured gator, but she died from her injuries on Sunday, according to a statement from the zoo.

"This alligator suffered and died because her owner chose to abandon her in a freezing lake in a highly weakened state rather than providing her with the veterinarian care that could have saved her," according to Bronx Zoo officials. They added, "Wild animals do not make good pets." According to the statement, an autopsy revealed prolonged and severe weight loss, significant anemia, and infections in the gator's intestine and skin, as per reports.

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Godzilla, the gator, was estimated to be five to six years old. She also had a chronic ulcer in her stomach that was caused by ingesting a rubber bathtub stopper while unlawfully kept as a pet. That rubber stopper was eventually removed satisfactorily, as reported by Daily Mail.

The alligator weighed only 15 pounds

The gator weighed only 15 pounds when she was rescued from Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn in late February and taken to the Bronx Zoo for rehabilitation, as reported by ABC. Officials estimated that an alligator her size should have weighed 30 to 35 pounds. The Prospect Park alligator was most likely a pet that was abandoned or outgrew its enclosure before being released into public waters, according to Meghan Lalor, a representative for the Parks Department, as per reports.

In New York City, it is against the law to release animals into public parks or keep an alligator as a pet. Since alligators are obviously not native to the area, scientists caution against releasing them into the wild since they may endanger other species. The fact that alligators are accustomed to tropical, warmer conditions partly explains why this particular gator was having difficulty surviving in the icy waters of Brooklyn, as per reports.