Third abandoned alligator this year turned in to SPCA

A former animal rescue worker received an unexpected delivery Friday on her Mastic Beach doorstep -- a 30-inch alligator.

The woman, who was not identified, called the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which will take the alligator to a Long Island reptile sanctuary, Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross said Sunday.

State Department of Environmental Conservation workers are still looking for the person who left the alligator. Possession of an alligator, a state violation, carries a $250 fine. The gator is believed to be 2 to 3 years old. They grow about 1 foot per year, Gross said.

SPCA workers are concerned about the uptick in gators and other reptiles abandoned in recent years across Long Island. Last year, 20 alligators were rescued or surrendered, Gross said.

This is the third case this year, following the discovery in June of a 15-inch gator that bit a man who tried to pick it up in Mill Pond, near Yaphank.

"They're very dangerous and don't make good pets. They grow bigger, to the point that they could kill someone," Gross said. "Even a gator this size can cause serious injury."

The release of this gator won't lead to criminal charges, Gross said, because it was turned over to a rescuer. If an animal is released in the wild, criminal charges can be filed for animal abandonment, which carries up to a year in jail and $1,000 fine.

SEE PHOTOSAnimals on the loose on LI, in NY

The animals are often bought online or purchased in neighboring states like Pennsylvania and then brought to New York, Gross said.

The SPCA has seen a large number of illegal reptiles turned in at its amnesty surrender day. Residents have previously turned in an anaconda, a rattlesnake and tortoises. The reptiles in the wild can carry disease, such as salmonella, and also pose a danger to the public, Gross said.

"People just want something exotic and different," Gross said. "It's basically an accident waiting to happen. There's a reason they're illegal and there's a chance of them getting loose."