An 11-ft alligator which was kept in a family home ‘since the 1990s’ has been seized by authorities, but the community has vowed to help the owner fight to get him back.
The alligator, called Albert, weighs 340kg and is 3.4m or 11ft long. Authorities in New York venture to a home in Hamburg, south of Buffalo, where they found the alligator had been living with the family for decades, and had a swimming pool in the yard for the 30-year-old ‘pet’.
Albert has blindness in both his eyes and spinal complications, officials say.
The homeowner allowed people, including children, to get into the pool with the alligator, according to the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
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The agency says they swooped in after discovering the “extent at which the owner was seriously endangering the public”.
Tony Cavallaro, the owner of the gator, has been illegally keeping the animal over the past three years as his license for the reptile expired in 2021.
But he says he did try to renew it with the DEC.
It’s been an emotional week for Tony, who said he treated the alligator like his own child and claimed he didn’t put anyone in danger.
“I’m not dangerous, I’m not being unsafe with people,” he said.
He bought Albert from a reptile show in 1990 when he was a baby and refers to him as his son.
The Hamburg resident says the DEC swarmed his home on Wednesday, with cops and the SPCA Serving Erie County assisting. He claims his phone was confiscated and wasn’t allowed to say goodbye to the alligator.
Next-door neighbor Laura Lautner told WKBW: “It was really upsetting how it was handled.
“They loaded Albert on the back of a cargo van, and just laid him there.”
“He’s not having alligator get together, or parties,” said Lautner. “He’s just a really nice guy and loves that alligator, and treats it well.”
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Tony admitted allowing children to get into the pool to take photos but said it wasn’t regularly.
He added: “I’m Albert’s dad, that’s all there is to it. He’s like family to everybody”.
He even built a room for the alligator in 2016, which has a pool and a waterfall.
Following the news, thousands have signed a petition to bring the gator back home. 51,000 people have already supported Tony to bring him back.
It reads: “As everyone has probably already heard The DEC and SPCA took Albert away from me saying that I put people in harm’s way with him. Everyone who has met Albert or knows Albert knows that this is not true. I took care of him better than most people take care of their kids.
“They changed the rules two years ago about what you need to do to have an Alligator. I’ve had him 34 years and abided by all of them and renewed my permit annually as required.
“I tried renewing it when they changed their rules and had questions to ask. They ignored my emails and phone calls to make sure I did everything right even though I should be grandfathered in.” I will have a court date when they provide it.”
It adds: “The scene that they made on my street is very disturbing and totally wrong. I am very upset and angry about this whole incident.”
Officials haven’t confirmed whether they’ll bring charges.
Albert has been sent to a licensed caretaker until a place is found for him to receive permanent care.
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