Hundreds of coins may have given this alligator a sinking feeling but probably did not cause the reptile’s death.
More than 330 coins were discovered in the stomach of a dead alligator at a zoo in Nagoya, Japan, in May, reports The Japan Times. The metal discs were apparently swallowed over decades as visitors tossed spare change into the gator’s pond.
A veterinarian at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens told The Japan Times that the alligator’s death was not related to the mostly ¥5 and ¥10 coins but advised that tossing coins in the pond brings good fortune for no one.
— Stacey Harris (@Cornboy1968) October 3, 2019
The alligator arrived at the zoo in 1965 and was about 54 years old when it died, with no coin-induced organ failure, The Japan Times reports.
Alligators routinely swallow pebbles to facilitate digestion, The Japan Times reports, so the coins could have been swallowed up with some pebbles.
The alligators at the zoo have been displayed without a physical barrier since 1989, and visitors have occasionally tossed coins into their pond despite signs discouraging the practice, the Times reports.
Read more at The Japan Times.
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