Society

Alligator in Japan zoo pond swallowed hundreds of tossed coins

Oct 02 (Kyodo) - More than 330 coins were found in the stomach of a dead alligator in a central Japan zoo in May, apparently having been swallowed over a span of decades as visitors tossed spare change into the pond while making a wish.

The death of the alligator at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya was not related to the trove of largely 5- and 10-yen coins, but a veterinarian at the facility advised that throwing coins into the alligator pond would not bring good fortune.

The alligator was brought to the zoo in 1965 and died at the estimated age of 54. An autopsy showed no signs that the reptile had developed any type of organ failure due to the coins.

As alligators have a habit of storing pebbles in their stomachs to facilitate digestion, the old alligator could have swallowed coins together with pebbles.

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