An alligator rumored to have been a favorite of Adolf Hitler died on Saturday at the ripe old age of 84.
Named Saturn, the alligator was born in Mississippi in 1936 and transferred to the Berlin Zoological Garden. According to local legend, Adolf Hitler enjoyed visiting the zoo and particularly enjoyed spending time watching Saturn. During World War II, much of the Berlin Zoo was destroyed. Of the zoo’s 16,000 animals, only 96 survived. When the aquarium building was destroyed by a bomb on 23 November 1943, 20 to 30 alligators and crocodiles were killed. Press reports documented that the streets near the aquarium were littered with alligator and crocodile corpses, but that some, including Saturn, had survived and were wandering through the city in search of food. Saturn’s whereabouts were unknown for three years and experts surmise that he hid in basements and sewers. Saturn was discovered by British soldiers, who then gave the alligator to the Soviets in 1946.
Вчера утром наш миссисипский аллигатор Сатурн умер от старости. Ему было около 84 лет – крайне почтенный возраст. Московскому зоопарку выпала честь содержать Сатурна 74 года. Он видел многих из нас детьми. Надеемся, что мы его не разочаровали. pic.twitter.com/UigsB8xwBv
— Московский Зоопарк (@moscowzoo) May 23, 2020
He lived happily in Russia until Saturday when he passed away from old age. Saturn was estimated to be 11 feet long and weighed in at over 440 pounds.
