From World War II to becoming a social media hit in the 21st century, Muja the alligator has been through a lot.
Although it is often claimed that Muja is the oldest alligator in the world, the truth is that no one knows exactly how old he is – only that when the zoo’s oldest employees began working there shortly after WWII, he had already been around for quite some time.
Commonly mistaken for a crocodile, Muja is actually a North American alligator, especially related to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Recently the Belgrade Zoo celebrated Muja’s 85th birthday, and although no one has the truth about Muja’s exact age, it is currently worth theGuinness World Record for the oldest captive alligator.
Muja’s future is uncertain, the Serbian environment ministry plans to build a terrarium so that all the reptiles on the site have a better place to be, although it is a long-term project, perhaps this old reptile may not have that much time left. Zoo visitors told BBC that its golden years are past, it is no longer the animal it used to be.
In other words, visiting Muja at the zoo may no longer attract the spectacle it used to, the security of the place has even been reinforced since some taxidermists have approached during the closure of the place to take Muja, since it would be a very valuable piece.
Why Is Muja So Special?
The incredible thing about Muja is that the average age of the species is between 30 and 50 years, in fact, 10 years ago it had surgery for an infection in one of its legs and they had to amputate it, the vets said that maybe it could shorten its life. But it wasn’t like that at all.
Today his activity passes more through cell phone screens, one of the zoo workers posted a video of Muja and quickly got more than 1 million views. People love him and ask for more videos to be uploaded, some even confuse it with a plastic or rubber animal, because of the incredible color of its skin. That is why the videos not only indicate that Muja is well and healthy but are part of a proof of life.
