Swamp dweller discovered in Batavia building

Great gators! City of Batavia Police say they found a four-foot long alligator in an abandoned building earlier this week.

Police say they responded to a 911 hang up call from Lehigh Avenue Monday. Officers looked inside the building for any signs of distress or anyone in need of assistance, and instead found a make-shift aquarium containing the alligator.

Officers immediately notified the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, who sent an environmental conservation officer to the site. Police were able to capture the alligator and turn it over to the environmental conservation officer.  According to the DEC, the Seneca Park Zoo has agreed to house the animal temporarily until it can be relocated to a permanent facility.

Accroding to the DEC, Defendant Richard D. Ryan of East Pembroke was ticketed for unlawful possession of an alligator, returnable to the City of Batavia Court.

It is illegal to sell or own alligators and other dangerous animals under New York State Environmental Conservation Law. Alligators should not be harbored or handled by anyone without specific training and the appropriate licensing or permits.

If anyone has any information regarding this animal or knows of anyone harboring such a dangerous animal, they should contact the DEC Region 8 office at (585) 226-2466. 

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