Officers secure the 11-foot alligator for transport after it was seized from a home where it was being kept illegally (Picture: AP)
A 30-year-old alligator has been seized from a home in New York.
Environmental conservation officers seized the 340kg, 11-foot-long reptile named Albert from a home in Hamburg, south of Buffalo, on Wednesday.
The owner, Tony Cavallaro, installed a swimming pool for the gator and let people to get in to pet him, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Albert has ‘blindness in both eyes’ and spinal problems, among other health issues.
The reptile was sent to a licensed caretaker until a place is found where it can receive permanent care, according to a release from the agency.
The owner’s state licence to keep the alligator expired in 2021.
The home’s owner had built an addition and installed an in-ground swimming pool for the 30-year-old alligator (Picture: AP)
State environmental officials have not decided whether to bring charges.
Mr Cavallaro vowed to get Albert back.
He insisted he treated the reptile as if it were one of his children and that he never put anyone in danger.
‘I’m not dangerous, I’m not being unsafe with people,’ Mr Cavallaro added.
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