The Darwin Museum in the Russian capital Moscow has received a unique exhibit item – a stuffed alligator named Saturn that reportedly belonged to the leader of the Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler. According to the museum's officials, taxidermists have been working on the stuffed animal for six months. They imbued the reptile's skin with special oils, sculpted the body after studying numerous photos of Saturn, and handpicked eyes for him.
"No reptile of the museum has such a rich biography. The Moscow Zoo entrusted us with perpetuating the memory of the alligator Saturn. He was, without exaggeration, a legend of the zoo and had seen a lot in his lifetime", reads a statement on the Darwin Museum's website.
According to museum official Dmitry Miloserdov, this is Saturn's second life and noted that the reptile had become immortal. The alligator had an exciting life. Born in the United States in 1936 he was then transferred to Berlin, where he lived in a zoo until aerial bombings of Berlin during the Second World War "freed" him. Nobody knows what he did and how Saturn survived before he was found in 1946 by British soldiers, who gave it to Soviet troops. Rumour has it that he hid in sewage drains and basements.
According to the Moscow Zoo, Saturn died in May 2020 at the age of 84, which is remarkable as alligators only generally live up to 30-50 years in the wild. Zookeepers say that the reptile was picky about food, remembered all the keepers well, and particularly loved it when he was massaged with a broom.
"Many of us got acquainted with him when we were kids. We hope that we didn't disappoint Saturn", read a statement from the Moscow Zoo at the time of his death.
