13 WHAM - "An alligator found at a home in Macedon is being temporarily kept at the Seneca Park Zoo.
Over the summer, a New York State Department of Environmental Conversation officer received an anonymous complaint about a Facebook post showing an American alligator that said, "Just Bought an Alligator!""
"The officer eventually learned the man who posted about the alligator had been arrested and put in jail for unrelated activities. A family member told the investigating officer that the suspect had never actually bought the animal, but was just bragging about it.
On December 27, the officer went to a home in Macedon and spoke with the homeowner, who eventually allowed the officer inside his house to show him the alligator. The 3.5-foot-long alligator, named Alan, was kept in a large glass tank in a bedroom in the house. The owner said Alan was friendly and ate out of his hand, often walking around the house even though two large dogs also lived at the home.
The owner also admitted that the alligator was getting too big for the tank and the house.
Alan was confiscated by the DEC officer from the home, as it is illegal in New York to possess any crocodilian family without permits.
The owner was issued a ticket for possession of an alligator.
The Seneca Park Zoo has agreed to house Alan temporarily until it can be relocated to a permitted facility.
Seneca Park Zoo communications coordinator Mina Johnson said the alligator is currently quarantined in an off-exhibit area of the Zoo, away from our other animals.
"While in quarantine, the alligator will go through the regular regimen of health screening, including fecal sample testing, and any other testing that the Zoo’s Animal Health Department deems necessary," Johnson said in an emailed statement.
Staff are working with the DEC to find a new home for the alligator."