Alligators in NYC Parks Suffer Tragic Fates.

The female alligator rescued from Brooklyn's Prospect Park Lake in February died on April 16 due to severe weight loss, extreme anemia, and intestinal and skin infections, as well as a chronic ulcer from a swallowed bath stopper. The Bronx Zoo, which had been caring for the alligator, called it a "tragic case of animal abuse" and reminded the public that "wild animals are not pets." The alligator had been illegally kept as a pet and was dumped in the lake in a debilitated state instead of receiving veterinary care.