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SPCA: 15-Inch Alligator Found Abandoned In Mill Pond

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork/AP) -- Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who abandoned a baby alligator in a pond on Long Island.

The Suffolk County SPCA says the 15-inch gator was found Friday in Mill Pond in Yaphank.

SPCA: 15-Inch Alligator Found Abandoned In Mill Pond

SPCA Chief Roy Gross says the animal bit a man who spotted it near his canoe and tried to pick it up.

Dozens of alligators and other illegal reptiles have been abandoned on Long Island in recent years.

Possessing an alligator in New York is a violation subject to a fine of up to $150 but abandoning one in a public place is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison.

Gross adds that alligators do not make good pets.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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