PRESS & SUN-BULLETIN (Binghamton, New York) 06 November 04 See ya later, gator: 18-inch reptile must go, law says- Endicott owner says ouster a crock (Justin Walden)
Endicott: Roger Jenks may soon have to give up an 18-inch member of his household.
Ally likes to hiss at visitors, although Jenks said he's usually pretty mellow. But the state said Jenks, 30, can't keep the alligator in his apartment, or else he'll be hit with a $250 fine. That has the Endicott man steamed, and ready to fight the ticket in village court.
"It's kind of sad," Jenks said. "I've got to get rid of him."
The Cleveland Avenue resident was ticketed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation on Oct. 28 for unlawfully importing/possessing a live alligator. But Jenks claims he was told by members of the DEC's special licensing unit that he could own an alligator without a license. So he went ahead and purchased Ally at a reptile show on Oct. 16 in Hamburg, Pa.
Ally is an American alligator, a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. He can grow to more than 10 feet long.
DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren said Jenks was denied a license because he did not meet one of five conditions for owning an alligator. People can receive licenses for scientific, propagation, educational, exhibition and zoological purposes.
But the DEC does not issue licenses for the purposes of owning a pet, Wren said, declining further comment about the specifics of the case.
Local, state and federal governments can all regulate what types of pets people own. Experts say people should consult various agencies, including the DEC and U.S. Department of Agriculture, about what animals need special licenses. The laws are intended to protect both humans and animals, Wren said.
Species of animals that are labeled endangered or threatened by the federal government and animals indigenous to New York state must all be licensed by the state, Wren said. Want to own a gray squirrel, a beaver or a deer? You'll need a license, Wren said.
Wild animals tend to be bad pets because of the potential legal problems and because they're not used to living with humans, said Ross Park Zoo Executive Director Jarod Miller.
Just ask the guy from Manhattan who faced criminal charges last year for keeping a 425-pound tiger and 5-foot-long alligator in his apartment after the tiger bit him.
The tank that Ally currently resides in has a red evidence seizure tag on it. The alligator is one of 18 reptiles in Jenks' place; the others include an 8-foot carpet python and a baby bull snake, both legal.
Jenks said he'll get rid of Ally by Dec. 4, likely traveling 160 miles back to Hamburg. And he'll have to get the name and address of the new owner, so he can prove to the DEC that he actually got rid of the gator. Jenks fears that extra paperwork will make it harder to sell or give away the reptile.
"I hold him every night," said Jenks of Ally. Jenks has been handling reptiles for more than 10 years.
Jenks, who had started researching alligator ownership in August, said he hopes to perhaps open a pet shop in the future. But he worries that the ticket could hurt his chances of opening a shop.
"I talked to the all the wrong people for two months straight," he said. "They kind of led me astray."
See ya later, gator: 18-inch reptile must go, law says