New Jersey: Man finds 3-feet-long alligator in a plastic bin outside his home

By Team Newsable  |  First Published Jan 18, 2023, 1:52 PM IST

The three-foot-long alligator was found on January 15 in a plastic storage container left in an empty lot in Neptune, New Jersey, confirmed the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA). 


A three-foot-long alligator was found abandoned in a small town in New Jersey. According to Fox News, a man was shocked when he found a young alligator abandoned in a parking lot near his home. The reptile was found on January 15 in a plastic storage container left in an empty lot in Neptune, New Jersey, confirmed the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA).

New Jersey resident Angel Rosario opened the container, found a 3-foot-long juvenile alligator inside, and immediately called 911 and animal control. The alligator was then taken to the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty's shelter, which was kept in a clean tank and climate-controlled living space.

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In its Facebook post, the MCSPCA detailed the incident and shared a few images. It read, "A juvenile alligator was found in a plastic container in an empty lot on Bangs Ave in Neptune late last night. When a good Samaritan discovered the container next to his home and called MCSPCA Animal Control, they responded quickly. The young alligator was returned to the shelter and placed in a clean tank with proper air circulation in a climate-controlled area. The alligator will be handed over to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife soon."

The MCSPCA added that keeping alligators or caimans as pets is 'illegal' in New Jersey as both animals are 'potentially dangerous exotic species.' It further added that the animals are not only a 'danger to the public,' but when in captivity, they also require 'very specific care that only professionals can provide.'
 
The SPCA's Humane Law Enforcement Division is still looking for the details of the reptile owner. Anyone found guilty of dumping the alligator could face charges of animal cruelty.

Alligators are not native to New Jersey and cannot survive in frigid winters, the Metro report mentioned. The temperature dropped below freezing on Sunday night when the alligator was found.

According to the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, American alligators can grow more than 11 feet long and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. They can be found in freshwater and slow-moving rivers, swamps, marshes, and lakes.

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