In what appears to be a rerun of unusual wildlife occurrences, a young alligator has been spotted and rescued from a creek in Garnerville, Rockland County. Local police received a call yesterday after a person noticed the reptile in Minisceongo Creek, prompting a successful rescue by the quick-acting Haverstraw Police Department, as reported by CBS News New York.
The alligator, now safe and presumably enjoying a temperature more conducive to its species at the Hudson Valley Humane Society in Pomona, is a juvenile male that has been examined by a Bronx Zoo herpetology expert. According to the expert, the gator is "in pretty good shape." Still, the origins of this errant alligator are unknown, much like last year's Brooklyn park alligator discovery that led to a more tragic outcome, as described by FOX 5 New York.
The humane society currently housing the newfound gator has even considered potential names, such as "Philippe" or "Al E. Gator," reaching out to the community for input. This peculiar incident rings reminiscent of a situation from February 2023 when another alligator was found in the frigid waters of Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn, although that story ended in the animal's demise.
Last year's Brooklyn alligator, which suffered from severe health issues including chronic weight loss, anemia, and a stomach ulcer caused by swallowing a 4-inch wide bathtub stopper, despite extensive medical intervention by the Bronx Zoo staff, ultimately did not survive. Authorities remind that owning alligators in New York is illegal, a fact that doesn't stop people from acquiring and later abandoning these creatures as they grow, the situation often leading to dire consequences for the animals.
