An upstate New York man has ended his court fight to reclaim Albert, his 12-foot alligator seized by authorities in March 2024 after the reptile had lived in his home for more than three decades.
Tony Cavallaro sued the state Department of Environmental Conservation after officers arrived with a warrant at his suburban Buffalo residence, sedated the 750-pound (340-kilogram) alligator and drove him away in a van. Albert, who had been kept in an indoor swimming pool, was eventually moved to a sanctuary in Texas.
Cavallaro's attorney, Peter Kooshoian, said his client decided in March to give up after almost two years of costly litigation with no quick end in sight. “Tony’s upset,” Kooshoian said. “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.”
The lawyer added that even if Cavallaro had prevailed, he believed the state would heavily regulate the animal's care. Cavallaro's license to keep Albert had expired in 2021, and the Department of Environmental Conservation said that even if it had been renewed, the owner had allowed people to pet the alligator and enter the pool with it, providing grounds for removal under rules for dangerous animals.
The state also reported that Albert had blindness in both eyes and spinal complications, among other health issues. Cavallaro, however, had maintained that Albert was “just a big baby” who had never shown aggression. He bought the alligator at an Ohio reptile show when it was two months old and considered him an emotional support animal.
