Alligator pulled from NYC lake had swallowed bathtub stopper

By KAREN MATTHEWS
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities say the alligator that was rescued from a chilly lake in New York City over the weekend had swallowed a bathtub stopper. Bronx Zoo officials say the nearly 5-foot-long female alligator was lethargic and suffering from exposure to the cold when it was found in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Lake on Sunday. Zoo officials say the alligator is too weak to eat on its own and is being tube-fed. It is also too weak for veterinarians to try to remove the stopper it swallowed. The alligator weighs only 15 pounds and is extremely emaciated.