Gator glut on Long Island: Fifth alligator found

SHIRLEY, L.I. (WABC) -- For the fifth time in the past week, an alligator has been found on Long Island.

Police discovered the reptile abandoned in a plastic container with the words 'My Gator' written on top, around 1:30 a.m. Sunday in Shirley.

The 4-foot long alligator is now with the New York State Department of Environmental Control.

Newsday (http://bit.ly/SHSItg ) says the fourth alligator to be discovered has found a new home at a Riverhead aquarium.

The stray was found Monday at a Wading River golf course on eastern Long Island.

Other alligators were found on successive days about 55 miles west, near a Baldwin supermarket.

The spate of gators started a week ago in Mastic.

Experts believe people may be disposing of the 2½-foot-long beasts when they start to become unmanageable.

The week's gator-wrangling total comes to six if you include New York City. Police removed a pet alligator from a Brooklyn home on Monday.

The Suffolk County SPCA warns that exotic animals make bad companions. They may pose serious health risks.

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