BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Spotting an alligator may not be a rare occurrence here in Florida but it definitely isn't normal to see one all the way up in New York!
That's exactly what happened early Sunday at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Lake, according to a release from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks).
Park maintenance staff reportedly spotted the alligator Sunday morning in the lake and called in Parks Enforcement Patrol and Urban Park Rangers, who were able to capture and transport the gator to the Animal Care Center of NYC.
The gator has since been taken to the Bronx Zoo for rehabilitation, NYC Parks said.
The approximately 4-foot-long alligator was found in "poor condition" and was "very lethargic." NYC Parks said no one was hurt encountering the gator.
"Parks are not suitable homes for animals not indigenous to those parks—domesticated or otherwise," an NYC Parks spokesperson said in a statement. "In addition to the potential danger to park goers this could have caused, releasing non-indigenous animals or unwanted pets can lead to the elimination of native species and unhealthy water quality. In this case the animal was found very lethargic and possibly cold-shocked since it is native to warm, tropical climates."
NYC Parks reiterated that releasing animals into city parks is illegal. "If you see an abandoned animal, the best thing to do is leave the animal where it is and call 311 or locate an Urban Park Ranger in the park."
According to the Smithsonian, American alligators are found in the U.S. from North Carolina to the Rio Grande in Texas. They are usually found in freshwater, slow-moving rivers, swamps, marshes and lakes.