HAMBURG, N.Y. (AP) — A western New York resident has abandoned his legal battle to retrieve his beloved 12-foot alligator after state officials confiscated the massive reptile following more than three decades of cohabitation.
Tony Cavallaro filed a lawsuit against New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation following the March 2024 incident when officers arrived at his Buffalo-area residence with a search warrant. The authorities tranquilized the enormous 750-pound alligator, which Cavallaro had named Albert, before transporting the animal away in a vehicle.
The reptile, which had been residing in Cavallaro’s indoor pool area, was subsequently relocated to a wildlife sanctuary in Texas.
Cavallaro challenged the state’s refusal to grant him a permit for keeping Albert. However, this past March, he chose to end his legal pursuit after nearly two years of expensive court proceedings with no resolution in sight, his legal representative confirmed.
“Tony’s upset,” attorney Peter Kooshoian said Thursday. “He had the animal for over 30 years — never had a problem until this occurred. So he doesn’t feel he was treated correctly by the government.”
Kooshoian explained that even if Cavallaro had won his case, he anticipated the state would impose strict oversight on his care of the animal.
According to the department, Cavallaro’s permit to possess Albert had lapsed in 2021. The agency also stated that regardless of license status, Cavallaro had violated regulations by allowing visitors to touch the alligator and swim alongside it, which justified the removal under dangerous animal protection laws.
State officials reported that the confiscated reptile suffered from vision loss in both eyes and spinal problems, along with additional medical concerns.
Cavallaro maintained that Albert was “just a big baby” who had never displayed hostile behavior.
He had purchased the alligator as a two-month-old hatchling from a reptile exhibition in Ohio and regarded the animal as his “emotional support animal.”
