Animal rescue officials believe someone dumped four of them into an inlet in Manorville.
"Unfortunately one of them didn't make it,"
American Alligators can grow to more than 15 feet, but they cannot survive in the cold water of Long Island.
That's why experts think someone ditched them just recently until they were stumbled upon a few days ago.
"They would not have survived if they were released weeks or months ago," Todd Gardner of Long Island Aquarium said.
They're now recovering at the Long Island Aquarium. They may eventually become part of a new alligator exhibit set to open this summer. That idea came up this past fall when more alligators were *rescued from around the island.
Clearly, people have been keeping them as pets, which is illegal in the state of New York -- and then realizing.
"They eat a lot of food. They get more dangerous. They make a huge mess. They make a terrible smell when their tanks starts to get dirty and it dawns on them what a terrible idea it was to keep an alligator," Gardner said.
To make sure this stops happening, the Suffolk County SPCA is hosting an amnesty day this Saturday in Smithtown. People can bring their unlicensed reptiles and amphibians. No questions asked.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SATURDAY'S EVENT.
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