Alligator Found In Monmouth County, New Jersey Abandoned Lot

You know when you go for a nice winter walk in Jersey and you stumble upon an alligator? Yeah, I didn’t think so.  Well, that is precisely what happened to one family in Monmouth County.

A good Samaritan found an abandoned alligator in a plastic bin covered in garbage. It is not exactly what you are expecting to find.

It is illegal to own an alligator in New Jersey and this is one of the major reasons why.  People think they are interesting and even cute when they are babies but then they, of course, get too big to handle so they get tossed out or abandoned. In looking at this little guy you can see the charm, for a few weeks or so...

At some point, they get like this and there is no way he's staying in your bathtub.

If this reptile was not discovered it would have frozen to death so the boy and his family found him just in time.

Officials are looking for the person that abandoned the gator in Neptune Township so they can slap them with an animal cruelty charge. The Monmouth County SPCA is currently caring for the animal by warming it up with heated blankets and heated water in a facility located in Eatontown.  

The animal could have just been left at the Division of Fish and Wildlife which is where it will be eventually relocated after it recovers. He was a pretty big boy even though he is still a young reptile.  Here is some footage from ABC 7 News:

If anyone has any information about the person involved, is asked to call SPCA Humane Law Enforcement at 732-496-9719.

Here is a full list of the animals you are not allowed to own in New Jersey:

Here is a full list of pets banned in each state: