Yes, the story’s real. And there are pictures to prove it. And the cops were quite exasperated as to just what they were looking at, and where exactly it came from: “We’re not sure if it’s an alligator or a crocodile because we’re not zoologists,” New York City Police Department Spokesman James Duffy told the New York Times. “No one knows where it came from, if it came from the sewer or not.”
The urban legends of sewer-dwelling Big Apple reptiles are known worldwide – as are the myths of alligators coming up through the toilets. So it was little surprise that a massive crowd of New Yorkers gathered Sunday afternoon at Newton Avenue and 29th Street, northeast of midtown Manhattan in the heart of Queens – right down the street from King Wah Restaurant, a Chinese takeout joint with mixed reviews. (Could the croc have been lured by the smell of fried chicken?)
The 2-foot-long animal – later identified by animal experts as a baby alligator – was reportedly tiny, only large enough to kill a mouse. But the discovery has sparked an array of fascinating revelations in the 24 hours since.
For starters, how can an alligator make its way through crowded New York City streets, before getting trapped under a car? Second, all of us here at NewsFeed were a little shocked to learn that, according to Animal Care and Control spokesman Richard Gentles, two to four alligators or crocodiles are rescued in the city by his agency every year. Where are all these creatures coming from! Have any been traced back to a bathroom?!
But speaking for myself, the largest and most pressing question I want answered is: If this is indeed a baby alligator, who managed to wander the streets of Queens, just where in New York is the mommy? (Cue eerie music, fade to black)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXvmq60JfX4]