The Suffolk County SPCA is investigating the abandonment of a two-foot crocodile found Thursday at the Holtsville Wildlife & Ecology Center, according to the New York Post. Chief Roy Gross told Patch that the crocodile is not indigenous to local waters. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has taken custody of the animal, the Post reported.
Investigation and custody
Strong Island Animal Rescue League is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who left the animal at the site, the Post reported. Town employees had placed the crocodile in a box before the group's president, Frank Floridia, arrived. Floridia captured the animal, according to the Post.
The DEC requires the crocodile to be removed from New York State, according to the Post.
Under the New York abandonment provision cited by the New York State Senate, leaving an animal in a public place is a misdemeanor carrying a possible sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. A proposed measure, Assembly Bill 2025-A7950, introduced April 16, 2025, would set the fine at not less than $500 while retaining the possible sentence of up to one year in jail.
State rules and a related case
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, importing, possessing or selling an alligator, caiman or crocodile in New York is unlawful without the proper DEC permits. That requirement provides the state-law context for the investigation and the animal's disposition. In a separate Long Island case, the DEC said officers captured a juvenile alligator reported Aug. 7 in a freshwater pond at Cow Meadow Preserve in Freeport and took it to a licensed rehabilitator while investigating its release.
The Holtsville site
The wildlife center's zoo closed after 46 years of operation. The closure followed allegations of animal mistreatment by former employees and animal-rights activists, according to The Long Island Advance and Hoodline.
The property includes a walking trail.
The Suffolk County SPCA offers animal-cruelty reporting and emergency-response services; the agency is seeking to determine where this crocodile came from and who left it at the Holtsville site, as reported by the Post.
