Thibodaux the Gator Has 70 Coins Removed from His Belly
A zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, had to ask visitors to stop tossing coins into enclosures, mainly because a 36-year-old white alligator named Thibodaux had swallowed about $7 in change. Veterinarians at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium performed surgery on the gator to remove the coins before they caused him serious health issues.
During a routine exam, the zoo reported on Facebook, “our veterinarians identified some metal foreign objects in the stomach of an iconic resident of the Zoo: 36-year-old leucistic American alligator, Thibodaux.” The foreign objects were coins, about 70 of them, which had been thrown directly into Thibodaux’s gaping maw.
A leucistic alligator is a very rare genetic variant of the American gator. Unlike albinos, which have no pigmentation, leucistic alligators can have varying degrees of whiteness. They are particularly vulnerable to sunburn, and apparently at least one is at risk from thoughtless tourists with coins.
“With the help of his training, Thibodaux was anesthetized and intubated to allow us to safely manage him during the procedure,” explains zoo vet Christina Ploog. “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.”
They got them all, as confirmed by the post-op x-rays, and a fully recovered Thibodaux is back in his habitat. The zoo has found it necessary to remind visitors: “Guests should not throw coins into any bodies of water at the Zoo.”
As far as we know, there are only ten leucistic alligators in the world. Last year a female gator was born at a reptile park in Orlando, a twin (with a normally tinted gator for a brother).
Photo credit: Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium via Facebook
