The Moscow Zoo is mourning the loss of an 84-year-old alligator that passed away recently. The alligator’s name is Saturn and he’s been at the zoo since the 1940s, though his story has been a part of an urban legend of sort that has yet to be proven true. Apparently, Saturn was formerly a part of Hitler’s collection of exotic animals. 

TMZ reports that the reptile died of old age at the Moscow Zoo. Ap[Via[parently, he was gifted to the zoo after he was discovered by British soldiers during World War II. As the story goes, Saturn has been a globetrotter of sorts throughout his lifetime. Initially being shipped from America to Europe, he survived the bombing of the Berlin Zoo in 1943 and was somehow surviving in the ruins until 1943 when he was brought to Russia. 

There have been rumors over the years that Saturn actually belonged to Hitler before Germany was defeated in WWII. The zoo has stated that it’s become an urban legend of sorts since then. However, they never elaborated any further on where this story came from. They did defend the reptile against naysayers. Essentially, the Moscow Zoo thinks that an animal shouldn’t be held accountable for the actions of its owners.