A recurring urban legend that is usually dismissed is that alligators live in New York City’s sewer system.
During Sunday, however, park workers were alerted to an alligator in a lake in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, reports the New York Post.
Park workers who were called to the scene saw the animal floating around, almost motionless, in the winter cold.
– It barely moved at all, says Joseph Puleo, who is president of the union District Council 37, which represents the city’s park workers, to the New York Post.
May have been dumped in lake by owner
The alligator was then taken to an animal welfare center.
A spokeswoman for the city’s parks department, Meghan Lalor, told the newspaper that the alligator, which measured 120 centimeters, is likely an unwanted pet dumped in the lake by its owner.
– Thankfully, no one was injured and the animal is being examined. In this case, the animal was very lethargic and possibly cold-shocked because it belongs in warm, tropical climates, Lalor told the New York Post.
