Police Find 2 Baby Crocodiles at a Home in New York While Making an Arrest on 'Unrelated Charges' By Toria Sheffield

Two baby crocodiles were confiscated from a New York home after police officers discovered the animals while visiting the residence to make an arrest on “unrelated charges.”

The Yonkers Police Department (YPD) told PEOPLE in a statement that officers and detectives discovered “two caimans” in an apartment on Post Street in Yonkers “while on an unrelated investigation” in the late evening hours of Dec. 9.

“The appropriate wildlife specialists were called to the scene to take custody of the animals,” the YPD said.

On Dec. 10, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) received a report “regarding an individual in possession of reptiles in the City of Yonkers without a license or permit,” per a press release from the department.

NYSDEC said the animals were discovered by YPD officers while they were conducting “an arrest for unrelated charges,” per the release. 

The reptiles have since been placed in a “properly licensed facility,” and NYSDEC officers “issued multiple tickets to the individual for illegally possessing reptiles.”

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Mark Perpetua, a licensed reptile owner and local conservationist, shared that the two crocs are now safely in his possession after being placed with him by authorities.

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“The two little crocodilians confiscated in Yonkers came today,” he said in a Dec. 16 Facebook post. “They both look healthy, although the croc has a few marks and is missing half its tail.”

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In a previous post on Dec. 11, Perpetua shared that one of the animals is a Morelet’s crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii). He said they are native to Mexico, Belize and parts of Guatemala, and can grow to about 9 feet in length.

He said that the second “smaller” crocodile is a smooth-front caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus), or “dwarf caiman.” He added that they are native to the Amazon and Orinoco River basins in South America and grow to about 5 feet in length.

“All 27 species of crocodilians require a special license to keep in New York,” Perpetua added.