HAMBURG, N.Y. (AP) — The owner of an alligator recently seized by New York conservation officers insists the reptile, which he named Albert and has lived with for more than 30 years, is a gentle giant that is not dangerous and wants it returned. I'm fighting for it. Anyone.
After officers met Tony Cavallaro in the driveway of his suburban Buffalo home with a warrant a week ago, they sedated the 10-foot-long, 750-pound alligator, taped its mouth and drove away. I chased him away. Bang.
Cavallaro's license to care for 34-year-old Albert had expired in 2021, according to the Department of Environmental Protection. But even with the update, Cavallaro allowed others to pet the crocodile and even get into the pool with him, grounds for removal under regulations for keeping animals classified as dangerous. The department said that.
Cavallaro, 64, views Albert differently. He said his crocodile was born and raised in captivity and had never shown any signs of aggression toward people or other animals. He recalled finding Albert curled up in the dog bed with his dog when the crocodile was still small.
“He's just a big baby,” Cavallaro said Tuesday, showing a photo of Albert clutching a stuffed alligator in his teeth and resting his chin on a stack of pillows.
Cavallaro has hired a lawyer in hopes of getting Albert back, and his efforts have received support from neighbors and even strangers on social media. More than 120,000 people have signed an online petition, and fans have created “Free Albert” T-shirts and buttons.
A friend even composed a song for this purpose. In a video posted to Facebook, a friend strums a guitar and sings, “Oh, Albert, come home.”
Cavallaro has lived with Albert for more than half of his life since purchasing the two-month-old alligator at an Ohio reptile show and considers him his “spiritual support.”
He spent $120,000 on a custom addition to his Albert-designed home, complete with underfloor heating, a filtered indoor pond with a waterfall and spa jets, tropical plants, and a bar.
Cavallaro said it was difficult to get into the space now, so she gathered up a pile of Albert's pillows that the officer had thrown aside and put them back on the carpet where the alligator liked to lie.
Cavallaro was not told where the alligator was being taken, but said it was “very empty.”
Cavallaro acknowledged that friends and their children have been getting close to Albert, taking pictures, petting him and sometimes even getting into the water. But Albert is so affectionate that when Cavallaro's 84-year-old mother comes to visit, she rushes to the poolside to greet him. When Cavallaro went on vacation, she often kept an eye on Albert.
“She was sitting with him in his room, reading a book with his head on her leg,” he said.
The license came into question following changes to regulations on possession of dangerous animals adopted by the Department of Environmental Protection in 2020. Cavallaro's license expired in 2021, but he failed to comply with storage requirements to ensure the alligators pose no danger to humans. The public, according to the government agency.
Cavallaro said he had unsuccessfully asked for clarification on renewing the license and believes the old regulations should have been followed.
Cavallaro said owning Albert was the culmination of a lifelong interest in reptiles. Cavallaro previously owned caimans, which are similar to crocodiles, monitor lizards, and lizards.
“It's just a fascination. I love these animals and I've learned a lot about them,” he said.
He disputes the DEC's claims that Albert suffers from “numerous health-related issues, including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications.”
The alligator is living on a diet of raw chicken and pork chops supplemented with vitamins and is receiving veterinary care, including treatment for cataracts, but Cavallaro said he is not blind. He said there was nothing wrong with the crocodile's spine before it was taken away.
DEC officials declined to say where Albert is being kept. In a statement, the agency said only that he would be with a “qualified caretaker who will house and care for the animal until it can be appropriately transported for permanent care.”
It's unclear how many alligators are kept as pets in the United States, but wildlife officials regularly report calls to rescue abandoned reptiles from parks and streams. Authorities believe the lethargic 4-foot-long alligator found in Brooklyn's Prospect Park Lake in February 2023 was likely an abandoned pet.
In Buffalo in 2014, animal control workers spent several days trying to retrieve a caiman from a stream and were ultimately successful.
