A 2-foot long alligator found Thursday in the backyard of an abandoned Southern California home marked the second gator found in the same area this week.
The latest gator was picked up in the 15300 block of Lassen Street at a North Hills home with a posted eviction notice, according to LA Animal Services.
Animal control officers heard about an abandoned alligator and found it in a large aquarium in the back of the property, officials said. They took the alligator to an animal shelter and had yet to find confirm the gator's owner as of Thursday evening.
On Monday, animal services seized a 36-year-old, 8-foot alligator from a Van Nuys home. Animal control officials said they got a warrant and found Jaxson the gator in a box with two dead cats.
But Jaxson's owner Laura Mattson told NBC4 on Wednesday that despite the alligator being found near two cat carcasses, the gator has never eaten live animals but was hand-fed "hot dogs and chicken for 36 years."
"She was so docile, she would let rats eat the hot dogs out of her mouth," Mattson said.
Los Angeles Animal Services launched criminal investigations into the cases because it is illegal to keep wildlife in Los Angeles without a permit. The agency said the two findings do not appear to be related.
