Gator Goes to the Beach—on Long Island

And you thought your Halloween costume was scary: A pillowcase found wriggling in a Long Island parking lot early yesterday turned out to contain a 2½-foot male alligator. An official from the town of Babylon found the creature near a beach, Newsday reports, with a message on the pillowcase: "Live Gator—Please find him a home."

The alligator is in good condition and bound for a zoo outside New York, where owning gators is illegal; the ex-owner could face charges for abandoning the potentially dangerous animal. The man who found him is also a peace officer for the Suffolk County SPCA, which the AP reports is soliciting donations to help with the animal's care. (More alligator stories.)