SCOTTSDALE, AZ (CBS5) -
Who could forget the bizarre burglary case involving two naked suspects and a victim with a gator in his apartment this week? It turns out that seized gator is one of nine that the Phoenix Herpetological Society has gotten in the last two weeks. So why have they gotten so many in such a short amount of time? They blame changing laws and shady shippers.
"We're asking that question ourselves, why all the gators?" said Daniel Marchand with the Herpetological Society. He said they've gotten six gators from out of state and three from Arizona, all in the last two weeks.
Another gator was recently rescued from a man keeping it as a pet in Phoenix. He kept it in water all the time, so they're teaching it how to walk on land.
In Arizona, you can't have alligators as pets. But in some states like Texas and Oregon, you can actually walk into a pet store and buy one for about $60. But Marchand said states are beefing up their wildlife laws, so owners are trying to sell their exotic pets.
"They don't ask, 'What are the restrictions in your state?'" Marchand said. "They'll just ask, 'What's your credit card number?'" Marchand wants people to know they are not pets because in a few years, they'll be big enough to eat you. But unfortunately, that doesn't always stop people.
"There's probably 100 more alligators in homes right now that are not supposed to be there that are illegal," Marchand said.
The alligators are hard to place in new homes, and sometimes it can take years. If you want to help, visit their website, http://www.phoenixherp.com/.
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
