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A MAN has sued a New York agency after claiming that they entered his residence and seized the amphibian that had been his friend for 30 years.
According to Tony Cavallaro, the Department of Environmental Conservation entered his home in March 2023 and made off with the 750-pound gator.
Cavallaro says the agency entered his home in Hamburg, a suburb in Buffalo, New York, sedated the 11-foot-long animal, taped his mouth shut, and drove off with him.
The agency alleges that Cavallaro’s license to keep the reptile expired in 2021 and hadn’t been renewed.
Peter Kooshoianl, Cavallaro’s attorney. said in the lawsuit filed at the state Supreme Court that the agency’s denial of his license wasn’t “factually based.”
“We’re hoping that he will get his license to have the animal reinstated, and from there we’d like to either negotiate or litigate to have the animal brought back to Mr. Cavallaro because we feel that he should have had a valid license at the time, as he’d had for the last 30 years,” Kooshoian said in a statement obtained by ABC affiliate KTVX.
Cavallaro said the DEC failed to follow its own licensing requirements governing people who already owned a wild animal when the new regulations took effect.
While DEC has yet to comment on the case, a spokesperson told the out that Cavallaro’s enclosure didn’t sufficiently ensure that he would not come into contact with people.
The spokesperson also noted that the animal was afflicted by “blindness in both eyes and spinal complications” — conditions Cavallaro has disputed.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Cavallaro for comment.
Since losing his friend, Cavallaro has taken to social media to express how upset he was.
The New Yorker has since changed his Facebook profile and cover photo to his beloved gator.
“I can’t express how much this is destroying my life.” Cavallaro wrote in a post.
“I haven’t left my house since this happened. I miss him so much. I haven’t hardly eaten anything and have gotten very little sleep. I’m mentally and physically exhausted.”
“I can’t believe these people are so cruel. They don’t know anything about this animal. I know for a fact he wouldn’t hurt anyone ever. For me this is very difficult to deal with unbelievably heartbreaking,” he continued.
In a separate post, Cavallaro revealed that he attempted to contact the SPCA but revealed to followers that they “were not worth the time of day.”
I can’t express how much this is destroying my life.
Tony Cavallaro
Since the animal’s removal, a Facebook page entitled Let Albert go home has been created allowing Cavallaro to post updates.
In April, many Albert enthusiasts rallied to Cavallaro’s side and threw a massive legal fundraiser to help pay for the gator’s return.
“I want to reach out and thank everyone for the amazing support you all have given me throughout this sad situation with Albert,” Cavallaro wrote.
The man hit another hurdle when he revealed that the DEC had apparently lost track of the massive animal.
Thankfully, Albert was later found.
According to Cavallaro, Albert was taken to Gator Country, a Beaumont, Texas, rescue facility where visitors can interact with the alligators and other reptiles.
As of Saturday, the man has officially filed for a court date and is expected to hear back soon.
