Saturn, our Mississippi alligator, died of old age on May 22
, the zoo announced in a statement on Saturday evening.
He left at the respectable age of around 84 years old
, after having lived a long and eventful life
, said the press release, stressing that in the wild these alligators only live between 30 and 50 years.
Born in the United States in 1936, Saturn was then transferred to the Berlin Zoo from where he escaped after the bombing on November 23, 1943, which claimed the lives of several reptiles at this establishment.
In 1946 he was discovered by British soldiers and returned to the Soviet Union, the three years of his life between these two events constituting a mystery
, says the press release.
Saturn was taken to Moscow in July 1946 and almost immediately a myth was born, according to which it would have belonged to the personal collection of Hitler
, he specifies.
The Moscow Zoo had the honor of harboring Saturn for 74 years and did everything it could to care for the Honorable Alligator in the most caring way possible
, underlines the press release.
He was finicky when it came to meals and loved being massaged with a brush, the source said. Saturn for us, it’s a whole era […]. He joined us after the Victory (over Nazi Germany) and celebrated with us the 75 years of this Victory
, points out the Moscow Zoo. It was a great pleasure to be able to be next to him, to look into his eyes
, he continues, adding: we hope we did not disappoint him
.
– .
