Wildlife officials have recovered an alligator they believe was kept at a California family's home for the last 40 years.
Jaxson the alligator was taken Monday from a large box in the backyard of the family's Van Nuys home after a neighbor complained of seeing the 8-foot reptile, the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Services told the Associated Press.
"The homeowners said they have owned the alligator since it was a baby," said Commander Mark Salazar, field operations director for LA Animal Services.
Homeowner Laura Mattson told CBS Los Angeles her husband got the female alligator in 1977, making her 38 years old. Mattson began taking care of the alligator after her husband passed away a few years ago.
Animal services officials are now asking neighbors to notify them if any of their small pets have disappeared in the last four decades.
"They're basically saying we're taking the animals and feeding them to the alligator. And that's not true," Ron Goreki, Mattson's brother, told the station.
Also found with the alligator were the carcasses of two cats. Mattson said she had several neutered, wild cats she received from a cat rescue organization. But the cats were never fed to Jaxson, the homeowner said.
"Never, no, there was no way," Mattson told CBS LA.
She said she contacted the Los Angeles Zoo about taking the alligator but was told they had no room.
Animal services were alerted to the harbored animal after receiving a tip in late 2014. Officials arrived and conducted a search but found no alligator.
So a surprise visit was scheduled for Monday in case the alligator was purposely hidden. A tortoise and a few live cats were also found, Salazar told the AP.
Salazar said they believe Jaxson was kept in the covered wooden box in the cold weather "because they are cold-blooded creatures and aren't very active."
"It was found under foliage and debris. You had to be looking for it to locate it," he told the AP.
Officials are seeking charges against Salazar for unlawfully keeping a wild animal without a permit.
Jaxson is being cared for at the Los Angeles Zoo.
