A New York man said he was mistreated after agents from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seized his 750-pound pet alligator on March 13, the New York (NY) Post reported.
Tony Cavallaro said the DEC conducted a raid on his residence to seize the alligator, and the operation was conducted like a narcotics bust, according to the NY Post. “My God, they make me look like a drug lord, like Escobar, that’s how they treat it,” Cavallaro told the outlet in a phone interview.
“What makes them have to go to this extreme?” he said he continued. “They had full body armor two assault shotguns … It looked like a DEA drug bust by some kingpin. They looked like a SWAT team for a terrorist attack.”
NY man fights to get 750-pound pet alligator back after state seizes animal that loves people but ‘can’t eat’ https://t.co/Ev5lXHasbh pic.twitter.com/Bm5j3vyPqR
— New York Post (@nypost) March 19, 2024
Cavallaro is campaigning to regain custody of his 34-year-old reptile, Albert, the NY Post reported. Online support for Cavallaro grew, with more than 119,000 signatures on a petition for Albert’s release. Supporters are creating “Free Albert” merchandise to support Cavallaro’s legal fight for his unique companion, according to the NY Post. (RELATED: Popular Reptile Influencer Brian Barczyk Dies Days After Posting Heartbreaking Goodbye Video)
Albert is now with a licensed caregiver, but Cavallaro worries about his pet’s well-being. “My poor crocodile, he doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s such a gentle giant, it’s unbelievable,” Cavallaro told the NY Post. “Who knows what kind of damage they could do to him.”
The DEC seized the alligator after Cavallaro allowed people to interact with the alligator in the water, the agency said, according to ABC 7. the animal,” the DEC told the outlet.
Cavallaro has cared for the alligator since he got him at 2-months-old, the NY Post reported. He said he had a custom pen with a pond and special features for Albert. He maintained that community visits, which sometimes involve physical contact with Albert, are strictly supervised and never endanger the public, according to the outlet.
“I know I’m going to get a lot of support, I know that because everyone loves my alligator,” Cavallaro told the NY Post. “If they found out where he was, there would probably be 20,000 people outside with protest signs, ‘Free albert! Free Albert!’”
