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The alligator Thibodaux lives in a zoo in Nebraska
Photo: theomahazoo / Instagram
During a routine examination, veterinarians discovered a total of 70 metal coins in the stomach of an alligator at a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska.
The 36-year-old animal, named Thibodaux, had to undergo emergency surgery late last week to remove the coins, the zoo announced on Instagram.
"A plastic tube was attached to protect the animal's mouth," veterinarian Christina Ploog was quoted as saying by CNN.
Tools could then have been used through the pipe to gain access to the coins;
such as a camera that helped detect the coins in the stomach and then get them out.
According to the report, Ploog suspects that visitors threw the coins into the alligator's enclosure.
The zoo warned: "Guests should not throw coins into the zoo's waters."
According to information, ten alligators live in the zoo in Omaha, including Thibodaux.
It is a rare specimen with translucent white skin and blue eyes.
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