340-Kg Pet Alligator Seized From Home, Used To Swim With Children
NDTV
Officials said the alligator had a number of health issue, including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications when it was removed from the home.
An 11-foot 340-kg kg alligator, which was being kept illegally at a home in Florida, was seized by Environmental Conservation Police Officers (ECOs). In a Facebook post, authorities said that "the owner of the home had built an addition to his house and installed an in-ground swimming pool for his roughly 30-year-old alligator, and allegedly allowed members of the public to get into the water to pet the unsecured alligator". The reptile's name is Albert, according to CNN-affiliate WKBW.
"I'm Albert's dad, that's all there is to it. He's like family to everybody," his owner Tony Cavallaro told the outlet after the seizure on Wednesday.
Mr Cavallaro told WKBW his license to own Albert had expired in 2021 and he tried unsuccessfully to renew it with the Department of Environmental Conservation.
