Nebraska's numismatist alligator caught with 70 coins in its tummy

When people visit the zoo, it is often seen that they throw food toward the caged animals for fun and as they eat, the visitors cherish the moment. However, a bizarre incident was reported from the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska.

Zoo officials encountered a condition in a 36-year-old alligator Thibodaux. After the routine examination by authorities last week, unusual objects were extracted from the stomach of the gator.

They found a total of 70 coins that were swallowed by the alligator. Zoo officials, in a sigh of relief, revealed that they successfully removed the coins and there is no harm to the animal.

A Veterinarian Dr Christina Ploog maintained that the coins were possibly tossed into the alligator's habitat by visitors — which is a dangerous practice.

Christina Ploog, an associate veterinarian at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, who carried out the procedure, said: "With the help of his training, Thibodaux was anesthetized and intubated to allow us to safely manage him during 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," said Ploog in an Instagram post.

The confirmation of the removal was also done with the help of an X-ray examination.

Thibodaux is currently healthy and is in his habitat.

"Though a procedure like the one done on Thibodaux is not always common, it's a great example of what our animal care and animal health teams do every day across our campus to provide excellent care to our animals," said Taylor Yaw Zoo veterinarian and director of animal health in a statement of Instagram.

The Zoo urged its visitors that "guests should not throw coins into any bodies of water at the Zoo. 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."