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That’s what a New York man and his thousands of supporters are demanding to know after state wildlife officials seized his 11-foot, 750-pound gator from his home.
Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officers showed up to Tony Cavallaro’s Erie County residence in the town Hamburg on Wednesday, March 13, after learning that he had built an addition to his home and installed an in-ground swimming pool to keep the gator.
Officers accused Cavallaro of allowing members of the public, including children, to get into the water and pet Albert while the alligator was unsecured.
Together with Hamburg Police and the Erie County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, DEC officers seized the massive reptile “in the interest of public safety and the health, safety, and protection of the alligator,” the agency said.
The animal, which has numerous health issues including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications, was turned over to a licensed caretaker until it can be transported for permanent care.
“Analysis of additional evidence seized during the warrant and consultation with a licensed veterinarian will determine any future potential charges,” DEC officials said.
The agency said Cavallaro previously possessed a license for the alligator, but it expired in 2021 and was not renewed.
Cavallaro claims he attempted to renew the license, but never heard back from the DEC when he inquired about recent changes to the requirements for having an alligator.
“They ignored my emails and phone calls to make sure I did everything right even though I should be grandfathered in,” he said on a Change.org petition that has garnered more than 116,000 signatures in less than a week.
“As everyone has probably already heard, the DEC and SPCA took Albert away from me saying that I put people in harm's way with him,” he said. “Everyone who has met Albert or knows Albert knows that this is not true. I took care of him better than most people take care of their kids.”
In New York, possessing animals designated as dangerous – including alligators – is prohibited except under license from the DEC.
A DEC spokesperson told Daily Voice that Cavallaro’s facility “failed to meet specific conditions to ensure this dangerous animal did not come in contact with humans and did not pose a threat to humans or the animal.”
“To be clear, even if the owner were appropriately licensed, public contact with the animal is prohibited and grounds for license revocation and relocation of the animal,” they continued.
Cavallaro said the ordeal has left him upset and angry over losing a companion he’s had for 34 years.
Among the many to voice their support on Facebook was Jessica Devlin, who argued that removing the alligator from the only environment and person its known could do more harm than good.
"There is no Albert without Tony and vice versa," she said. "The fact of the matter is Albert has never hurt a single person and Tony would never intentionally put someone in harm's way."
Corey McMillan, one of thousands to add his name to the online petition, also sympathized with Cavallaro for losing his longtime companion.
“The connection that you have with your pet, especially one for 30 plus years, is something that you can’t replace in this world,” he wrote. “And so having that taken away by the people that are supposed to be caring for us and looking after us is kind of messed up. So, give him back. Give Albert back.”
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