University of Florida vets pull shoe from stomach of 341-pound crocodile

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    Gainesville, Florida (WFOR) — In what looked like a scene from a primetime TV medical drama, a team at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine has successfully removed a shoe from the stomach of a giant crocodile.

Yes, veterinarians at the University of Florida, home of the Gators, operated on a 10.5 foot, 341 pound Nile crocodile, named Anuket on Feb. 5, after she was spotted swallowing a shoe that fell off a zipliner at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park.

Veterinarians said the croc had originally thrown up the sneaker snack, but she ate it a second time. Vets attempted to get the crocodile to vomit again, but without success.

Crocodile undergoes surgery at UF College of Veterinary Medicine. (Photo Credit: Sarah Carey/UF College of Veterinary Medicine)

Once she was sedated, vets first attempted to reach the shoe, by actually reaching down the croc’s throat. Unfortunately, the vet with the really long arm was unsuccessful, and they were forced to perform surgery to remove it.

That did the trick and the shoe swallowing croc is now back in her habitat and doing fine.

The shoe snack eating by a crocodile and removed surgically by vets at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. (Photo Credit: Sarah Carey/UF College of Veterinary Medicine)

Let this be a lesson to the croc kiddos– never bite off more than you can … Shoe.

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