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
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"
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.