GAINESVILLE, Fla. – There are a lot of gator stories in Florida, but this croc may have them beat.
Doctors at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine recently conducted surgery to get a shoe out of a crocodile’s stomach after she swallowed it.
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Anuket, a nearly 11-foot croc, came to UF Veterinary Hospital on Feb. 5 to remove the offending footwear.
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According to the hospital, the shoe had fallen off a zipliner at St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, where she lives. Since the shoe fell into the Nile crocodile’s habitat, she decided to eat it for a snack.
The hospital system said the croc managed to throw it up and eat it again -- making doctors believe there was a chance she could regurgitate again safely. Yet, efforts to flush out the sneaker snack did not work.
If the shoe fits your fancy …. swallow it? Not a good idea! This 10.5-foot, 341-pound Nile crocodile, named Anuket, came...
Posted by University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine on Monday, February 15, 2021
Once at UF Vet, a zoo medicine resident even tried reaching down the 341-pound crocodile’s esophagus for the shoe, but that method did not work out either.
After trying several other methods to remove the shoe, the vet team decided to perform a gastrotomy, a surgical procedure that allowed for easier access to Anuket’s stomach. After a short while, the team was able to remove the shoe.
Anuket had to do an overnight stay and has been recuperating well back home at the park since her early Feburay scare, according to her caretakers. Doctors say she shouldn’t have a tummy ache either.
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