Blind 750-pound alligator seized from New York home, setting up showdown as owner vows to "fight them to get him back"

A 750-pound, 11-foot-long alligator named Albert was seized from a New York home this week, setting the stage for a confrontation between the state's Department of Environmental Conservation and the animal's self-proclaimed owner. 

The alligator lived in an in-ground pool in the backyard of owner Tony Cavallaro's Hamburg, New York home, and has multiple health problems, including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications, officials said. Cavallaro allegedly allowed members of the public "to get into the water to pet the unsecured alligator," according to the department. 

Albert was seized on Wednesday in "the interest of public safety and the health, safety, and protection of the alligator," the department said. He has been placed with a specialized caretaker who can care for him while the damage was assessed.