HUNTINGTON---A week ago New Yorkers were bearing the brunt of a spring Nor'easter which wreaked havoc from New York City into the Adirondacks.

What a difference a week makes as this weekend, it wasn't only New Yorkers who were basking in 70 to 80 degree temperatures under sunny skies.

Police in Huntington, LI, were summoned to help capture a young alligator which was spotted sunbathing by a small pond in the town. The gator, which sported yellow stripes and was about two feet long, was estimated to be about three years. Authorities said the reptile could grow up to 13 feet long.

Police are looking for whoever might have released the alligator because it appears the reptile has been raised in captivity and could not fend for itself. The Suffolk County SPAC is offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that helps convict the person who released the alligator as the owner could face animal cruelty charges for releasing it and being in possession of it. Alligators are illegal in New York.

This isn't the first time that an alligator has been found in Long Island. Last June, a three and half foot long alligator was captured after a homeowner on his way to his newspaper box spotted the critter on his front lawn.

The Suffolk County SPCA removed the animal to a nearby pet store for temporary lodging and said they would be investigating the incident because state law prohibits private ownership of alligators and other wild animals. Authorities said the gator was docile and apparently used to being held indicating it probably had been someone's pet, just like the one found this past weekend.

A SPCA spokesman said the number of cases involving illegal possession or release of a reptile in Suffolk County had tripled in the last year to nearly 90. 4-22-07

© 2007 North Country Gazette