Baby alligator found abandoned in Yaphank pond

YAPHANK -- Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who abandoned a baby alligator in a pond on Long Island.

The Suffolk County SPCA says the 15-inch gator was found Friday in Mill Pond in Yaphank.

SPCA Chief Roy Gross says the animal bit a man who spotted it near his canoe and tried to pick it up.

Dozens of alligators and other illegal reptiles have been abandoned on Long Island in recent years.

Possessing an alligator in New York is a violation subject to a fine of up to $150 but abandoning one in a public place is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison.

Gross adds that alligators do not make good pets.