Suffolk SPCA: Baby alligator found in Bayport homeowner's pool

The alligator was a hatchling, just 9 inches long, and the homeowner told authorities he found it in his pool.

Now the Suffolk County SPCA and the state Department of Environmental Conservation are trying to determine where the baby gator came from and whether it's a "lone wolf" — or if there are dozens more out there somewhere.

"It's the smallest alligator I've ever encountered," SPCA chief Roy Gross said Tuesday. "Stretched out, it was barely 9 inches. A hatchling … He [the homeowner] claimed he was cleaning out his pool filter and the alligator was in there. We want to know where did this thing come from? Are there others? … We need to find answers."

The baby gator turned up over the weekend at a home in Bayport, Gross said. He said he was watching News 12 Long Island when he saw a segment with the homeowner talking about how he had found the alligator in his pool — and then Gross made phone calls trying to find out if the homeowner had contacted authorities.

"He hadn't," Gross said.

So Gross called the homeowner and when he got no response, he said DEC and SPCA officers were dispatched to the home, where the baby gator was seized.

The alligator's age suggests this hatchling is from an alligator held in captivity, likely for breeding, Gross said. 

It is illegal to own an alligator in New York. Gross said the DEC can fine anyone in possession of an illegal reptile or animal, while in a case such as this the SPCA could charge someone with any or all of three misdemeanors: abandonment, endangering the public with a wild animal or reptile, and/or animal cruelty.

Each of the charges carries a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Gross and the SPCA are urging any owner of an illegal alligator or other reptile to take advantage of the daily amnesty program offered by the agency. Gross said anyone can surrender an illegal reptile or animal voluntarily — thereby avoiding criminal penalty.

"You're not going to train an alligator," Gross said. "It's not a dog, not a cat … If you have one, turn it in. If you know someone who has one, please contact us or the DEC."

Anyone with information about illegal possession of a reptile or other animal can call the SPCA at 631-382-7722 or the NYSDEC at 631-444-0250. All calls will remain confidential.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”