After the success of the first Illegal Reptile and Amphibian Amnesty Day in April where three alligators were turned in, the Suffolk County SPCA will be taking illegal reptiles and amphibians again on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Unlawfully possessed reptiles and amphibians in Suffolk County may be dropped off with no questions asked and without fear of prosecution between noon and 4 p.m. at:
PETCO
1100 Middle Country Road
Selden, New York 11784
Individuals bringing in reptiles and amphibians for acceptance are asked to place them in a containers which will be returned on a numbered basis.
The special day is done in cooperation with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife and USDA.
“The purpose of this effort is to get these reptiles and amphibians into a controlled environment where they can be cared for properly,” stated Chief Roy Gross of the Suffolk County SPCA in a press release.
It is illegal to own an alligator without proper permits. And, when baby gators are purchased and then released to Long Island's wild when they grow too large to handle, it endangers them and the public. The reptiles cannot survive Long Island winters and they are venomous.
Reptiles and amphibians accepted will include large constrictor snakes, namely Burmese Python, Reticulated Python, African Rock Python, Green Anaconda, Yellow Anaconda, Australian Amethystine Python and Indian Python. Large lizards/monitors will also be accepted, including Asiatic (water) Monitor, Nile Monitor, White Throat Monitor, Black Throat Monitor, Crocodile Monitor, Komodo Dragon and all species and sub-species of Crocodilia (alligators, crocodiles & caimans).
This event is not for species that do not require permits, and/or are not threatened or endangered. Such species brought in will not be accepted.
[Source: Suffolk County SPCA]