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4-Foot Alligator Found Cruising Pond in New York City Park

The alligator was lethargic and suffered a possible cold-shock from the environment outside its tropical comfort zone.

A 4-foot long alligator was found in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Lake Sunday morning, weak and far from its typical habitat, in an area popular with kids and other visitors. Park workers removed the huge alligator around 8:30 a.m. and transported it to a local animal care hospital, Joseph Puleo, vice president of District Council 27, told the New York Post. Meghan Lalor, a rep for the Parks Department, said the reptile is native to warm, tropical climates and was “lethargic and possibly cold-shocked” from the New York waters. Lalor told the Post the creature was probably an abandoned pet whose owner thought to release it in public waters, although she warned it’s dangerous to release an animal into a new environment. “Thankfully, no one was harmed, and the animal is being evaluated,” Lalor said. Visitors to the park ranged from amazed to horrified at the sight of the dog-sized alligator, with one shocked dad telling the Post “that’s pretty terrifying since this part is a pretty kids-dominated section of the park.” Another visitor, who went by the name Moses, expressed remorse for the creature. “You’d never expect to see something like that here. But man, I feel bad for it,” Moses said. “It shouldn’t be in a lake. Animals are like people, you know?”