Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Authorities in New York state said they seized a 4-foot alligator that a resident had been keeping illegally on their property. The Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said rescuers were summoned to a home in Ronkonkoma after Suffolk County Police responded to the home "on an unrelated matter" and found the alligator being kept as an apparent illegal pet. Advertisement The organization arrived with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police, who charged the owner with illegal possession. Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross said the alligator is being taken to a licensed wildlife sanctuary out of state. "Alligators do not make good pets and are illegal to own without a license," Gross said. Read More Police remove alligator from community pool in Florida Alligator walks up to Florida resident's door, eyes tasty-looking cat Alligator found abandoned in cooler in Tennessee