Saturn (alligator) facts for kids
An American alligator at the Moscow Zoo
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| Other name(s) | Hitler |
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| Species | Alligator mississippiensis (American alligator) |
| Sex | Male |
| Hatched | 1936 Mississippi U.S. |
| Died | May 22, 2020 (aged 83–84) Moscow, Russia |
| Known for | One of the longest-lived alligators in captivity Rumored to have been Adolf Hitler's pet |
| Residence | Moscow Zoo prev. Berlin Zoological Garden |
| Named after | Saturn prev. Adolf Hitler |
Saturn (Russian: Сату́рн, IPA: [sɐˈturn]; 1936 – 22 May 2020) was a famous American alligator who lived at the Moscow Zoo. He was known for a popular story that he used to be the "pet alligator" of Adolf Hitler.
Saturn hatched in Mississippi, U.S.A., in 1936. He was then brought to Germany and lived at the Berlin Zoological Garden. This is where the story about him and Hitler began. Hitler reportedly enjoyed visiting the zoo and liked seeing the alligator. However, Saturn was never Hitler's personal pet; he was a public zoo animal.
During World War II, the Berlin Zoo was badly damaged. Saturn was found by British soldiers three years later. In 1946, the British gave Saturn to the Soviets. He then lived at the Moscow Zoo until he passed away from old age on May 22, 2020.
Contents
Saturn's Amazing Journey
Saturn was born in the wild in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1936. He was caught that same year and sent to Berlin, Germany. There, he became an animal at the Berlin Zoological Garden.
The Hitler Story
It was during his time in Berlin that the popular rumor started. People said Saturn was Adolf Hitler's "pet." This story might have begun with a Russian writer named Boris Akunin. He wondered if it could be true.
But Saturn was not Hitler's personal pet. He was on display for everyone to see at the zoo. Some sources said he was part of Hitler's private collection of animals. However, a veterinarian from the Moscow Zoo, Dmitry Vasilyev, said that while Saturn wasn't a pet, Hitler did visit the Berlin Zoo sometimes. So, they might have seen each other.
Surviving the War
During World War II, the Berlin Zoo was heavily bombed. Out of 16,000 animals, only 96 survived. On November 23, 1943, the zoo's aquarium building was hit by a bomb. Many alligators and crocodiles died. News reports said that the streets near the aquarium were full of dead alligators. But some, like Saturn, managed to survive and wandered through the city looking for food.
Life at the Moscow Zoo
After the war ended, the Berlin Zoo area was controlled by the British. In 1946, British soldiers found Saturn. They took him to Leipzig, which was then under Soviet control. There, they gave Saturn to the Soviets.
A New Home in Russia
The exact details of how Saturn got to Russia are not fully known. This is because the Moscow tourism office burned down in the 1950s. But the Red Army brought Saturn, along with an Indian python, to Moscow in July 1946. He then moved into the Moscow Zoo.
When Saturn arrived, he quickly became a very popular animal. At that time, the zoo only had two crocodiles and no other alligators. Because he came from Germany, people first nicknamed him 'Hitler'. But later, he was given the name 'Saturn'. Once, during a time of loud noises and shaking in Russia in 1993, Saturn cried out. A zookeeper thought it sounded like the noise of the Battle of Berlin.
Companions and Challenges
In the 1950s, the United States gave the Soviet Union a younger female alligator as a gift. Her name was Shipka. Saturn and Shipka tried to have babies, but her eggs were not fertile. Shipka, who was 13 years younger than Saturn, later died. Saturn was very sad and refused to eat for a while after she passed away. By 2005, Saturn had a new female companion, who was 30 years old.
Saturn had a few close calls with danger during his time at the Moscow Zoo. In the 1980s, a large piece of concrete fell from the aquarium ceiling into his home. Luckily, Saturn was in a safe spot and was not hurt. In 1990, a new aquarium building was built. Saturn did not want to move and refused to eat for four months. He almost died then.
Later, some visitors threw glass bottles at Saturn, which injured him. After these events, his enclosure was made safer with a thick glass wall. In the 2010s, Saturn stopped eating again, this time for almost a year. Zoo staff took blood samples and gave him vitamins to help him. He eventually started eating again.
Saturn's Later Years
In his older years, Saturn mostly spent his time sleeping. He ate fish, rabbits, and rats twice a week. Vladimir Kudryavtsev, who was in charge of the Moscow Zoo's reptile area, said that not many visitors knew about Saturn's exciting past. Zoo staff only shared Saturn's German origins with groups of visiting schoolchildren. When school groups came, zookeepers would let children gently poke a broomstick into his enclosure. This was safe because Saturn was usually very calm. He only had one moment of being aggressive in 1970. He tried to bite a new zookeeper who tried to feed him by hand.
In 2015, the Moscow Zoo updated the Terrarium, where Saturn lived. His home was rebuilt, and Saturn returned to public display. That year, a French clothing company called Lacoste, which has a crocodile as its logo, also sponsored Saturn.
The Moscow Zoo announced that Saturn had died on May 22, 2020. He was 83 or 84 years old. American alligators in the wild usually live for 30 to 50 years. Saturn might have been the oldest alligator in the world. However, another alligator named Muja at the Belgrade Zoo is also very old, in his 80s, and was still alive in 2020. After Saturn's death, it was reported that his body would be preserved and displayed at the State Darwin Museum, a biology museum in Moscow.
