Petition Launched As Man Pleads For Return Of 11-Foot Alligator Albert Seized From His Home
Officials raided a seemingly ordinary home in the town of Hamburg, New York, and their target was not your average pet but an 11-foot, 750-pound alligator.
The alligator named Albert, raised by Tony Cavallaro for 34 years, was seized this week by officers with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC).
They “brought at least 20 or more agents to my house in full body armor and guns treating me like a criminal. It was like I was a gun dealing drug dealing criminal the way they acted. The scene that they made on my street is very disturbing and totally wrong,” read a message from Tony on a petition page, asking for Albert to be returned to him.
Tony Cavallaro said he took care of Albert the Alligator for more than 30 years
Image credits: Change.org
The investigators said the alligator had several health issues and was blind in both eyes when they found him. They also said the reptile had spinal complications.
Reports say that the homeowner created an area in his house that included an in-ground pool made especially for the alligator. He would even allow visitors to take a dip in the pool to pet the creature.
Tony didn’t have a permit to keep Albert in his house and noted that the seized alligator had been handed over to a licensed individual to temporarily take care of him, NYS DEC said.
Investigators said the alligator was facing numerous health issues when they found him in Tony’s home
750-pound alligator seized from New York home https://t.co/uUZA9bskgb
— KX News – Minot (@KXNewsMinot) March 15, 2024
Tony could face charges following the ongoing investigation, the officials said.
Following the seizure of Albert, Tony appealed to the public to support him in bringing the alligator home. More than 9,000 people have signed the petition so far to reunite Albert with Tony.
“I took care of him better than most people take care of their kids,” the Hamburg resident said.
He also explained that he had been trying to renew his permit to keep Albert but faced numerous hurdles along the way.
“They changed the rules 2 years ago about what you need to do to have an Alligator. I’ve had him [for] 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,” he said. “They ignored my emails and phone calls to make sure I did everything right even though I should be grandfathered in.”
Tony said the officials showed up at his house “in full body armor and guns treating [him] like a criminal”
An 11-foot, 750lb alligator which was illegally kept at a home in #Hamburg was seized by the Environmental Conservation Officers. The homeowner allowed the public to get in the water and pet the unsecured gator, who is said to be roughly 30 years old. https://t.co/3Bzj8YBduL
— 7 News WKBW (@WKBW) March 15, 2024
The man also requested that the public support him as his court date approaches.
“I will have a court date when they provide it,” he said. “I ask [if] all of my friends and people who love Albert will support me when this date comes available and if you can join me at the Hamburg town court to help me fight them to get him back.”
“I am very upset and angry about this whole incident! I will post the court date when it becomes available. Thank you in advance for everyone’s support!” he added.
Albert was NOT well cared for based on his condition. And he clearly didn't have enough space either if he was that small for his age. Plus what kind of idiot gets in a pool with an alligator?? You can't ever "tame" them. Wild animals do not belong in the hands of people who don't have the expertise to take care of them. Unless you're a licensed zoo or wildlife park you have no business keeping one!
"what kind of idiot gets in a pool with an alligator??" Me. I'm that kind of idiot. And I will die in a very happy way, because I got to cuddle a alligator for 2 seconds before I got torn to shreds :)
Load More Replies... Investigators said the alligator had several health issues and was blind in both eyes when they found him. They also said the reptile had spinal complications. “I took care of him better than most people take care of their kids,” explained Albert, who was asked to name those people so that their children could be taken into care.
Of you are that detached from reality you should not have animals!
Load More Replies...
Look how short it's snout is. This gator did not have adequate space in it's younger years, which caused it to grow malformed. It likely means Albert has lots of bad tooth and jaw issues.
Can I sign a petition to make sure he doesn't get a new permit?
I'll be happy to sign a petition to forbid him from ever owning another animal again.
Load More Replies...
There's one key sentence right up there in the first part of the post "Tony didn’t have a permit to keep Albert in his house". Assuming from this that a permit is legally required, I really don't see that he's got anything to complain about.
“They changed the rules 2 years ago about what you need to do to have an Alligator. I’ve had him [for] 34 years and abided by all of them and renewed my permit annually as required.
Load More Replies...
At 30 years old, that alligator should have been longer than 11 feet. Judging from all of the issues he had, it doesn't sound like Albert was really that well cared for.
Not defending him at all, however, a healthy male adult alligator should be 11 feet on average.
Load More Replies... It doesn't seem like the animal was cared for very well. Not every Tom, D**k, and Harry needs an exotic animal. That number should be close to zero.
This is stupid! What kind of entitled idiot, and the group of equally idiotic people that support him, think they have the ability to keep a creature like this and provide for it the way it needs. One look at this thing, even from a photo, tells you it isn't properly cared for. This guy needs to be jailed, and the people who think that this is proper care for a wild animal pilloried. Fools.
Do you know what they should have looked like healthy?
Load More Replies...
I didn't see this part mentioned in your article (which I feel is important.) "The owner’s state license to keep the alligator expired in 2021. He claims he tried to renew his permit, but was repeatedly ignored by the DEC when he tried to ensure that his certification would be grandfathered in, especially after 34 years of legal alligator ownership." (Source: New York Post.)
Unverified claims from someone who admits to breaking the law?
Load More Replies...
Poor Albert. Hopefully he’s living a better life now. His owner is an idiot who deserves to get bitten by several gators.
I’m just amazed Albert hadn’t already done the job, and had the first good full meal he’s ever had in his unfortunate life. Hope Albert’s life gets better from now on, and the vets at the sanctuary can restore his eyesight (at least enough to get around), and help mitigate the pain from his other issues. Not to mention put him somewhere he can have some alligator companions.
Load More Replies...
That poor animal. It looks like it has a severe underbite as well. Nobody should have a pet alligator. The guy wants him back because he’s his Cash Cow. Gross!
I'd be very interested to hear from professionals about the details of Albert's conditions. Were they genetic? Were they from past mistreatment BEFORE Tony had them? Or were they a result of Tony not properly caring for him. These are important distinction. Also showing up in full d**g raid over a lapse in permits when the person is actively trying to renew them is uncalled for. Its not like he just brought the alligator home, over 30 years of compliance, and then the rules were changed without him knowing (Maybe they informed him and it was lost somewhere or not made clear. I'll give it up to Miscommunication, and he thought he was getting grandfathered in but wasn't.) That said, again, there are better ways to remove a pet. I'm always on the iffy side when it comes to exotic pets, but i think as long as the animal actually lives a healthy happy life then whatever. Again, id love to get more information about the cause of Albert's health issues.
As an update, i looked into it and they are going to look into pressing charges depending on a veterinarian exam. Said examination is going to be my deciding factor. Innocent guy facing hurdles to owning a beloved pet? Or an a*****e neglecting an animal.
Load More Replies... To be fair. If no one ever kept wd animals as pets we wouldn't have any pets. Dogs cane from wild wolves that lived alongside people.
Load More Replies...
Only other gator like this i can think of is Rex from snake discovery who took her in. She is super short for her age due to the previous owner kept in a small wooden box for 27 years. Video is 5 years old but can give people some insight; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hnv_YzJQYU
Albert was NOT well cared for based on his condition. And he clearly didn't have enough space either if he was that small for his age. Plus what kind of idiot gets in a pool with an alligator?? You can't ever "tame" them. Wild animals do not belong in the hands of people who don't have the expertise to take care of them. Unless you're a licensed zoo or wildlife park you have no business keeping one!
"what kind of idiot gets in a pool with an alligator??" Me. I'm that kind of idiot. And I will die in a very happy way, because I got to cuddle a alligator for 2 seconds before I got torn to shreds :)
Load More Replies... Investigators said the alligator had several health issues and was blind in both eyes when they found him. They also said the reptile had spinal complications. “I took care of him better than most people take care of their kids,” explained Albert, who was asked to name those people so that their children could be taken into care.
Of you are that detached from reality you should not have animals!
Load More Replies... Look how short it's snout is. This gator did not have adequate space in it's younger years, which caused it to grow malformed. It likely means Albert has lots of bad tooth and jaw issues.
Can I sign a petition to make sure he doesn't get a new permit?
I'll be happy to sign a petition to forbid him from ever owning another animal again.
Load More Replies... There's one key sentence right up there in the first part of the post "Tony didn’t have a permit to keep Albert in his house". Assuming from this that a permit is legally required, I really don't see that he's got anything to complain about.
“They changed the rules 2 years ago about what you need to do to have an Alligator. I’ve had him [for] 34 years and abided by all of them and renewed my permit annually as required.
Load More Replies... At 30 years old, that alligator should have been longer than 11 feet. Judging from all of the issues he had, it doesn't sound like Albert was really that well cared for.
Not defending him at all, however, a healthy male adult alligator should be 11 feet on average.
Load More Replies... It doesn't seem like the animal was cared for very well. Not every Tom, D**k, and Harry needs an exotic animal. That number should be close to zero.
This is stupid! What kind of entitled idiot, and the group of equally idiotic people that support him, think they have the ability to keep a creature like this and provide for it the way it needs. One look at this thing, even from a photo, tells you it isn't properly cared for. This guy needs to be jailed, and the people who think that this is proper care for a wild animal pilloried. Fools.
Do you know what they should have looked like healthy?
Load More Replies... I didn't see this part mentioned in your article (which I feel is important.) "The owner’s state license to keep the alligator expired in 2021. He claims he tried to renew his permit, but was repeatedly ignored by the DEC when he tried to ensure that his certification would be grandfathered in, especially after 34 years of legal alligator ownership." (Source: New York Post.)
Unverified claims from someone who admits to breaking the law?
Load More Replies... Poor Albert. Hopefully he’s living a better life now. His owner is an idiot who deserves to get bitten by several gators.
I’m just amazed Albert hadn’t already done the job, and had the first good full meal he’s ever had in his unfortunate life. Hope Albert’s life gets better from now on, and the vets at the sanctuary can restore his eyesight (at least enough to get around), and help mitigate the pain from his other issues. Not to mention put him somewhere he can have some alligator companions.
Load More Replies... That poor animal. It looks like it has a severe underbite as well. Nobody should have a pet alligator. The guy wants him back because he’s his Cash Cow. Gross!
I'd be very interested to hear from professionals about the details of Albert's conditions. Were they genetic? Were they from past mistreatment BEFORE Tony had them? Or were they a result of Tony not properly caring for him. These are important distinction. Also showing up in full d**g raid over a lapse in permits when the person is actively trying to renew them is uncalled for. Its not like he just brought the alligator home, over 30 years of compliance, and then the rules were changed without him knowing (Maybe they informed him and it was lost somewhere or not made clear. I'll give it up to Miscommunication, and he thought he was getting grandfathered in but wasn't.) That said, again, there are better ways to remove a pet. I'm always on the iffy side when it comes to exotic pets, but i think as long as the animal actually lives a healthy happy life then whatever. Again, id love to get more information about the cause of Albert's health issues.
As an update, i looked into it and they are going to look into pressing charges depending on a veterinarian exam. Said examination is going to be my deciding factor. Innocent guy facing hurdles to owning a beloved pet? Or an a*****e neglecting an animal.
Load More Replies... To be fair. If no one ever kept wd animals as pets we wouldn't have any pets. Dogs cane from wild wolves that lived alongside people.
Load More Replies... Only other gator like this i can think of is Rex from snake discovery who took her in. She is super short for her age due to the previous owner kept in a small wooden box for 27 years. Video is 5 years old but can give people some insight; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hnv_YzJQYU
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