Report: Another Alligator Found On Long Island

SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Yet another alligator has been found on Long Island, this time in the window well of a home in the Hamptons.

The alligator was the ninth found in Suffolk County in the past several weeks, and it could not survive the cold weather, Chief Roy Gross of the Suffolk Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told the Suffolk Times Sunday.

The apparently healthy alligator was found in the window well on Hampton Street in Southampton, and was taken to the Star Foundation, according to the Suffolk Times.

This was one of several reptile abandonments on Long Island in recent months. In early October, three alligators were found in as many days – two in Nassau County, and a third in Suffolk County, according to the Riverhead News-Review.

Speaking to WCBS 880's Jim Smith last month, Gross did not call the surge in alligator findings on Long Island an epidemic, but he did say that every alligator found was of the same breed and a similar age.

He emphasized that owning an alligator as a pet in New York state is illegal.

"Anybody that would do something like that with an illegal reptile is facing jail time," he said.

Anybody who turns in an illegal reptile will receive a maximum fine of $250, but publicly releasing one could lead to a year in jail.

Gross said that for anybody who wants to get an up close look at one of these reptiles the zoo is a better option.

Do you think it should be illegal to keep alligators as pets? Leave your comments below...