Albert The Alligator Has A New Home
Nearly two months after an alligator was seized from a home in Hamburg, New York, we’ve learned where the huge pet reptile has ended up– and it’s not with his former owner who is desperately trying to get him back.
Back on March 15th, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation seized the 12-foot, 750 pound alligator named Albert from his owner of 30 years, Tony Cavallaro, alleging that Cavallaro failed to make sure that the dangerous animal didn’t come into contact with humans, breaking New York State regulations.
Additionally, Cavallaro’s permit to own Albert expired in 2021, and the DEC stated that the alligator was suffering from numerous health conditions, including spinal issues and blindness.
READ MORE: Massive Pet Alligator Taken From Western New York Home
Cavallaro refuted the DEC’s claims of health problems, and documents show he reached out to the DEC about renewing his permit several times and was met with no reply. However, he did admit that he allowed friends and family to pet and swim with the massive gator.
Alligator Owner Fighting To Bring Him Back To Western New York
Cavallaro and his friends and family are doing everything they can to get the alligator back. They created a change.org petition that currently has over 160,000 signatures, held fundraisers, and sold lawn signs to raise money for Cavallaro’s legal fight to have the alligator returned to Hamburg.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look good for Cavallaro, as we learned that his beloved gator has already been moved to a new home far away from Western New York.
Albert The Alligator Now Lives In Texas
In a statement to Buffalo’s WGRZ, the DEC revealed that Albert was originally sent to a rehab facility in Massachusetts for care, and when deemed healthy enough, was sent to an alligator rescue in Texas called Gator Country.
"The alligator arrives today at the new location and will be housed in a separate enclosure to ensure it continues to receive specialized care consistent with ongoing physical maladies including blindness and spinal conditions from decades of inadequate treatment and care. The location was selected after an evaluation of local and national facilities able and willing to accept an alligator with these specific and significant medical needs. DEC will continue to work closely with the facility monitoring the alligator’s health and wellbeing." - New York State DEC to WGRZ
According to his Facebook page, Tony Cavallaro had no idea that any of this was happening, and isn’t giving up his persistence in bringing his pet back home.
Our eyes are just as glued to this story as yours are, and we'll update as soon as we know anything more.