Officials have seized an alligator in upstate New York after its owner allowed people to get in the water to pet the reptile.
They confirmed that the alligator, named Albert, had been suffering from numerous 'health-related' issues, including blindness in both eyes and problems with its spine.
Albert's owner, who resided in Hamburg, Buffalo, had previously had a permit to keep the animal, who was estimated as being around 30 years old, but the permit had expired in 2021 and had not been renewed.
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Not only that, but the state department of Environmental Conservation reported that the alligator's owner had even been allowing guests to get into the water to pet it.
Authorities also found that the owner had installed an in-ground swimming pool to keep him.
Given that we're talking about an 11-foot-long alligator weighing around 750 pounds, getting into the water to give it head scratches is probably not a good idea.
Especially when you also take account of how alligators and crocodiles will often seize their prey in their jaw and drag it underwater until it drowns.
On Wednesday (March 13), officials stepped in after learning 'extent at which the owner was seriously endangering the public', a statement from the agency said.
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Since being rescued, the alligator has been sent to a licensed caretaker.
Now authorities are waiting to transfer the reptile to a permanent residence where it can be properly looked after.
Officials are also working with veterinarians to determine whether there is cause for any criminal charges to be brought relating to how the alligator was being kept - with additional evidence being seized during the warrant.
However, Albert's owner, Tony Cavallaro, claimed he had been with him since the 1990s, Sky News reports.
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He said he'd treated the alligator like his kid and that he had never put anyone in danger.
"I'm not dangerous, I'm not being unsafe with people," Cavallaro said.
He also promised to fight for Albert's return.
The legal status for alligators in the US does provide some federal protection for the species.
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However, states can also put in place their own regulation around licensing.
If you want to own an alligator, you do need to obtain a licence for one.
Deaths from alligators in the US are not as common as you might think, but they do occur.
According the CDC, as cited by LiveScience, between 1999 and 2019, 10 people were killed by alligators in the South-eastern US.
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All the same, it's probably not a good idea to get into a pool with one.
Topics: News, US News, New York, Animal Cruelty, Animals