Zoo workers at Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska, removed 70 coins from an American white alligator’s belly on Thursday.
The 36-year-old alligator, named Thibodaux, underwent the surgery to prevent health issues, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
It is possible for the creatures to stir the coins while moving through the water in their enclosures, the outlet noted. Veterinarians were performing regular exams when they noticed the items inside the alligator.
Thibadaux was carrying 70 coins inside his tummy, the zoo announced in a social media post on Friday:
“With the help of his training, Thibodaux was anesthetized and intubated to allow us to safely manage him during the procedure,” said Christina Ploog, DVM, an associate veterinarian at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, who led the procedure.
“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.”
The zoo also urged people not to toss coins into bodies of water at the facility. “Any loose change can instead be turned in for a souvenir coin in one of the several machines around the Zoo or in our coin wishing well located in the atrium of the Desert Dome,” its post reads.
One man who regularly visits the zoo with his children and who saw the recent procedure told KETV, “I think the zoo does a good job of keeping us protected from the animals. It’s nice to take my kids to the zoo so they can see the animals, but unfortunately I think there’s only so much they can do to protect the animals from us sometimes.”
According to the National Wildlife Federation, American alligators are carnivores who eat fish, invertebrates, frogs, birds, and mammals.
“They use their sharp teeth to capture prey, and their strong jaws are powerful enough to crack a turtle’s shell,” the site reads.