Environmental conservation police seized an 11-foot long blind alligator on Thursday that the owner was letting play with human guests, including kids.
Owner Tony Cavallaro had installed an in-ground swimming pool inside of his home in Hamburg, New York where he’d been keeping the 30 year-old alligator on an expired permit.
The owner “allegedly allowed members of the public to get into the water to pet the unsecured alligator,” according to a press release from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Public contact with such an animal is prohibited by DEC guidelines.
The scaly creature, which has “blindness in both eyes” and spinal complications, has been remanded to a licensed caretaker until it can find a permanent home.
Cavallaro told the Associated Press that he treated Albert, the 750 pound alligator, like he was his child. “I’m not dangerous. I’m not being unsafe with people,” he said. State environmental officials have yet to decide whether they will press charges.
