A three-foot-long alligator was recently found abandoned in a small town in New Jersey.
On Sunday, Jan. 15, the reptile was found in a plastic storage container that was left in an empty lot in Neptune, New Jersey, according to the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA).
The MCSPCA was able to locate the hidden alligator after a "good Samaritan" by the name of Angel Rosario called law enforcement when he saw the abandoned container in the lot next to his home, the animal welfare organization wrote in a press release on Monday, Jan. 16.
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MCSPCA officials were dispatched and found the container on Bangs Avenue, a street that’s located in the northeastern region of Neptune Township.
The alligator was found Sunday night in below-freezing temperatures, according to MCSPCA.
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"It is illegal for New Jersey residents to keep alligators or caiman, which are considered potentially dangerous exotic species," Ross Licitra, executive director of the Monmouth County SPCA, said in a statement.
"Not only is it a danger to the public, but these animals, when kept in captivity, need very specific care that only professionals can provide," Licitra continued.
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The Monmouth County SPCA determined the to be a juvenile and the reptile was transported to the organization’s shelter in Eatontown, New Jersey, where it was placed in a "clean tank" with "proper air circulation" and climate control, the press release states.
Officials at the Monmouth County SPCA initially reported they would transfer the alligator to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, but the organization updated its social media followers on Tuesday, Jan. 17, that the alligator will be placed in the Cape May County Park & Zoo in Cape May Court House, New Jersey.
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The Monmouth County SPCA Humane Law Enforcement Division is urging anyone who has information about how the alligator ended up in an abandoned storage container to contact the agency at 732-440-1539.