(CMR) A 750-pound blind alligator that people, including children, petted in a pool was seized from a New York home last week.
The animal, called Albert, is believed to be about 30 years old. Tony Cavallaro, the owner, said he got Albert from a reptile show in 1990 when he was a baby and calls him a son. Now, thousands have signed a petition to bring the 11-foot, 800-pound gator home.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation said in a Facebook post that environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs) relocated the 11-foot animal from a home in Hamburg.
The alligator, who has “numerous health-related issues, including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications,” per the organization, was living in an in-ground swimming pool that the home's owner built and installed as an addition to his house.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation claimed that the homeowner allegedly allowed people to get in the swimming pool to “pet the unsecured alligator.”
The animal was turned over to a licensed caretaker who will “house and care for the animal until it can be properly transported for permanent care.”
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation also noted that charges against the homeowner will be determined after all evidence is analyzed and a licensed veterinarian assesses the alligator and its health.
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