Two baby crocodilians were removed from a Yonkers, N.Y., apartment after police officers came to the home to make an arrest on unrelated charges and discovered the animals inside.
The Yonkers Police Department (YPD) said officers and detectives found “two caimans” in an apartment on Post Street late on Dec. 9 while conducting an unrelated investigation. Wildlife specialists were called to take custody of the animals, the department added.
The following day, Dec. 10, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) said it received a report about someone keeping reptiles in Yonkers without the required license or permit. According to the agency, the animals were discovered when YPD officers were at the residence carrying out an arrest related to other charges.
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NYSDEC said the reptiles were transferred to a properly licensed facility, and officers issued multiple tickets to the individual for illegal possession.
Mark Perpetua, a licensed reptile owner and local conservationist, later said authorities placed the animals in his care. In a Dec. 16 Facebook post, he wrote that both appeared healthy, though one had visible marks and was missing half its tail.
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In an earlier post on Dec. 11, Perpetua said one animal is a Morelet’s crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii), a species native to Mexico, Belize and parts of Guatemala that can grow to roughly 9 feet long.
He added that the second, smaller animal is a smooth-front caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus), also known as a dwarf caiman, which is native to the Amazon and Orinoco River basins and typically grows to about 5 feet in length.
“All 27 species of crocodilians require a special license to keep in New York,” Perpetua added.
