Workers at the Prospect Park park in Brooklyn, in the heart of New York, captured this Sunday an alligator more than a meter long that was swimming in a pond in the compound where some children played next to it, according to what the local press reported this Sunday.
Meghan Lalor, a representative for the Parks Department, told the New York Post that the reptile was likely a pet whose owner decided to release it into public waters.
“Fortunately, no one was injured and the animal is being evaluated,” Lalor added.
The alligator was seen floating in a park lagoon early in the morning in the inner part of the park known as Duck Island and, after being captured, was taken to the New York Animal Care Center. Lalor explained that the animal possibly suffered “cold shock, since it is native to hot and tropical climates.”
“It’s totally unexpected,” said Joseph Puleo, vice president of the 37th District Council, which represents the city park workers who ended up pulling the alligator out of the water.
Vijay Jacob, a 37-year-old father of two from Brooklyn, called the discovery of the animal “pretty scary” and was thankful his children weren’t attacked by the animal. “What? A crocodile?! OK… oh my God,” Jacob said when told about the incident as his two young children played near the shoreline where the alligator was found.
“We come here a lot, but I would never expect to see an alligator. Maybe it’s because he is so abandoned,” said another local.
The representative thanked the city’s Parks Enforcement Patrol and Urban Park Rangers for “capturing and transporting” the reptile.
