This photo provided by Tony Cavallaro shows his alligator, Albert, inside the custom enclosure he built for the reptile in his house in Hamburg, NY The alligator was seized by the Department of Environmental Conservation in mid-March.
Tony Cavallaro via AP
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Tony Cavallaro via AP
This photo provided by Tony Cavallaro shows his alligator, Albert, inside the custom enclosure he built for the reptile in his house in Hamburg, NY The alligator was seized by the Department of Environmental Conservation in mid-March.
Tony Cavallaro via AP
HAMBURG, NY — The owner of an alligator recently seized by conservation officers in New York is fighting for its return, saying the reptile he named Albert and has shared a home with for more than three decades is a gentle giant that’s no danger to anyone.
Officers a week ago met Tony Cavallaro in the driveway of his suburban Buffalo home with a warrant, before sedating the 12-foot, 750-pound alligator, taping his mouth and driving him away in a van.
Cavallaro’s license to keep Albert, who is 34 years old, had expired in 2021, the Department of Environmental Conservation said. But even if it had been renewed, Cavallaro had