On Aug. 7, a Long Island birdwatcher spotted something truly unusual: an alligator.
The gator was swimming in a freshwater pond at Cow Meadow Preserve, in the village of Freeport on Long Island. The birdwatcher took a photo, sent it to authorities, and remained on site to keep an eye on the reptile.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation police officers soon arrived with a canoe. They paddled out to the gator and safely captured it, then transported it to a local wildlife rehabilitator licensed to care for alligators…