PREVIEW

An alligator had to undergo surgery after vets discovered 70 coins in the animal's stomach. 36-year-old alligator Thibodaux had swallowed the coins thrown into his enclosure water at the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, USA. Veterinarians at the zoo said they identified "metal foreign objects in the stomach of an iconic resident" during a routine examination. After detecting the objects, the zoo workers acted fast and took him into surgery to remove the coins before they caused any problems. Thibodaux is leucistic, an extremely rare condition that causes the alligator to have translucent white skin and deep blue eyes. Leucism causes the partial loss of all types of pigmentation, including carotenoids. The zoo said that Thibodaux recovered well from the procedure. The zoo has urged guests to “not throw coins into any bodies of water”.