Officials at a Nebraska zoo are warning visitors against throwing coins in the water after one hungry animal was found with a bank full of change in its stomach.
During a routine checkup, veterinarians at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium discovered foreign metal objects in the stomach of one of their 10 American alligators.
Last week, Thibodaux, a 36-year-old leucistic alligator, underwent a veterinary procedure to remove 70 US coins inside him before they caused any problems.
Leucism is a condition that causes partial loss of all types of pigmentation.
It’s different from albinism because it does not affect the pigment cells in the eyes, according to wildlife officials.
Christina Ploog, an associate veterinarian at the zoo, led the procedure.
“With the help of his training, Thibodaux was anesthetized and intubated to allow us to safely manage him during the procedure,” she said.
“A plastic pipe was placed to protect his mouth and safely pass the tools used to access the coins, such as a camera that helped us guide the retrieval of these objects.”
All the coins were removed successfully, and a follow-up X-ray confirmed it, zoo officials said.
“Though a procedure like the one done on Thibodaux is not always common, it’s a great example of what our animal care and animal health teams do every day across our campus to provide excellent care to our animals,” said Taylor Yaw, a zoo veterinarian and director of animal health.
Doctors said Thibodaux has since fully recovered from the procedure and has been returned to his habitat.