Crocodile Found Dumped on Long Island; Rescue League Offers Reward
A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever illegally dumped a two-foot crocodile in a Long Island nature preserve.
A two-foot crocodile was discovered on a walking trail at the Holtsville Wildlife & Ecology Center on Long Island, prompting the Strong Island Animal Rescue League to offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Town employees at the nature preserve found the reptile on Thursday and secured it in a box before contacting the animal rescue organization. Frank Floridia, president of the Strong Island Animal Rescue League, described the discovery as "very concerning," noting that crocodiles are illegal in New York.
"If he bit somebody, you're gonna feel it. It can tear your ligaments. It can seriously hurt somebody," Floridia told The Post. "And it’s concerning for the animal because it doesn’t have the proper habitat, the proper environment to live."
Floridia was able to safely retrieve the crocodile without being bitten. He described the animal as not being aggressive during the rescue. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has taken possession of the crocodile and is working to remove it from the state.
The Suffolk County Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is investigating the incident to determine the origin of the crocodile and identify the individual responsible for its abandonment. "Obviously, it’s not indigenous to these waters here," said Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross. "So, we’re looking at it as abandonment, and we are investigating it."
Floridia stated that this crocodile rescue is part of a recent increase in unusual animal dumping incidents he has encountered. He reported rescuing a four-foot ball python in Farmingdale the night before the crocodile discovery, and previously handled cases involving a tarantula and a monitor lizard.
