Thirty-six years old, all his teeth… and 70 coins.
An alligator from the Henry Doorly Zoo, located in Omaha, Nebraska (United States), had to be operated on after veterinarians found 70 coins in its stomach, the BBC reported this Tuesday, February 20.
The specimen, a 36-year-old leucistic alligator named Thibodaux, was successfully operated on on February 15 and has now returned to its usual enclosure.
A discovery during a routine check
It was zoo veterinarians who, during an examination, identified “foreign metal objects” in the stomach of the alligator, whose species is characterized by its white skin and blue eyes.
The facility's 10 alligators underwent blood tests, X-rays and other treatments to ensure their good health.
After the discovery, Thibodaux was quickly anesthetized and operated on to prevent these parts “from causing him any problem.”
In total, 70 pieces were extracted from the animal.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
A control X-ray was carried out at the end of the operation and confirmed that no more traces of metal were found in the animal's body.
The coins were thrown by visitors into the pool
How could Thibodaux have ingested so much metal?
According to the zoo, guests threw coins into a pool in the enclosure and the animal swallowed them before cleaning services intervened to remove them.
The coins were surely thrown in the manner of a wish, a bit like it is customary to do in the Trevi Fountain, in Rome (Italy).
The zoo therefore asked visitors not to throw “coins into all the water points” of the establishment following the events.