Liquor store owner believed pet alligator was just a large lizard

A pet alligator pulled from a Long Island liquor store this week even surprised its owner, who thought the reptile was just a large lizard.

The 3-foot gator had been living in a storage room for about two months at Alpine Wine & Liquor in Wading River - where workers fed the beast about 45 goldfish a day, officials and the owner said. "We didn't know it was an alligator," said owner Nancy Corcione. "I didn't think it was illegal. We had no clue."



An employee brought in the creature, which can reach up to 1,000 pounds, shortly after it was born, saying he needed a temporary home for it until he found a new apartment, Corcione said.

Workers soon crafted a pool inside a giant tank for the critter. "It was like a little mascot here," Corcione said. Suffolk County SPCA seized the animal on Wednesday and ticketed Corcione for possession of an illegal animal.