Rest in peace, Godzilla.
The alligator found in the frigid waters of Prospect Park Lake in February has died, according to a statement from the Bronx Zoo. Officials there said the gator, named Godzilla, had undergone extensive medical treatment after ingesting a bathtub stopper. Despite these interventions, the alligator died on Sunday.
As part of the post-mortem, the zoo revealed that the alligator, a female, had a chronic ulcer in its stomach that was caused by the stopper. News of the alligator’s demise came the day before Earth Day.
Zoo officials blamed the alligator's previous owner for dumping her in a cold lake in "an extremely debilitated state" and cautioned against keeping wild animals as pets.
Urban Park Rangers fished the alligator from the lake in mid-February. Officials said the 4-foot-long alligator was lethargic, but kept mum on its health and status until today.
Still, the Prospect Park alligator was an instant legend, and was the latest in a series of exotic and unexpected animals to be found in the city's green spaces and apartments.
Michael Miscione, the former Manhattan borough historian, said alligators have turned up in the city since at least 1815, when a hunter found one in Newtown Creek, and there appeared to be a small spike in alligator sightings during the mid-20th century, when New Yorkers seemed to be buying mail-order reptiles, and then setting them free when they grew too large.
The zoo said the death was a "tragic case of animal abuse."
