After local officials found that an upstate New York man was maintaining an unusual pet in violation of the law, the guy was forced to bid his strange pet farewell.
According to a Facebook post from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Environmental Conservation police officers took the 11-foot, 750-pound pet alligator from a Hamburg house on Wednesday.
In the Facebook post, the officers said that the owner of the residence had added an extension, created an in-ground swimming pool for his approximately 30-year-old alligator, and permitted members of the public to enter the water and pet the unsupervised alligator.
According to a report from CNN affiliate WKBW, the monstrosity is called Albert.
Tony Cavallaro, the owner of the dog, told WKBW, “I’m Albert’s dad, that’s all there is to it.” “Everyone treats him like family.”
Cavallaro said WKBW that he had made no progress in renewing his license to possess Albert with the Department of Environmental Conservation after it had expired in 2021.
“Even if the owner was suitably licensed, public contact with the animal is prohibited and grounds for license revocation and relocation of the animal,” the department informed WKBW.
According to the Facebook post, environmental conservation agents collaborated with the Erie County SPCA and local police to capture the alligator. The reptile has a number of health issues, such as “spinal complications and blindness in both eyes,” the department stated.
Until he can “be properly transported for permanent care,” Albert is currently receiving care from “a licensed caretaker,” according to the agency.
The department stated in the post that “any future potential charges will be determined by analysis of additional evidence seized during the warrant and consultation with a licensed veterinarian.”
It is against the law in New York to own any animal that is considered a “dangerous animal,” including alligators unless the owner gets a license issued by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
For each dangerous animal they own, the license stipulates that the owner must have “appropriate training, experience, and facilities with required safeguards.” Hamburg is situated in New York’s Erie County, about 13 miles south of Buffalo.
