HAMBURG, N.Y. — In an enclosed room with a swimming pool lives something you will never expect. It's a beast, or a friendly alligator, depending on how you look at it.
It's Albert the Alligator. At 34 years old, he's 11 feet long and 750 pounds.
"I go, 'You're not taking him.' They go, 'Yeah, we're taking him today,' " Tony Cavallaro said. "And I go, 'What do you mean you're taking him?' "
That's Albert's owner, Tony. He's flustered and upset. New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation came to his Hamburg home, taking Albert away.
2 On Your Side asked Cavallaro what persuaded him to get an alligator.
"I've always loved reptiles. I had about 100 reptiles when I got him," Cavallaro said.
In his words, someone snitched on him. However, the DEC says they "learned" the homeowner kept a roughly 30-year-old alligator in an indoor swimming pool without a permit.
Allegedly, he allowed adults and kids to swim with it. The owner originally had a DEC license for the alligator, but it expired in 2021.
"They did one or two emails, and then they wouldn't answer none of my things. They say I ranted at them and threatened them about my insurance. No, I ranted about, I go, 'I got a $1 million coverage.' 'Oh! 'Well, you need $2 million.' I go, 'It's $1,200 a year. The law has changed, and I should be grandfathered in.' "
Cavallaro says he tried for a year to renew his license. However, he claims the DEC wouldn't answer back.
Cavallaro built an addition to the back of his home. It's where Albert lives. However, the DEC also wanted Cavallaro to build a fence behind the home.
"I would do it absolutely. But they would not answer. They would not clarify. They would not answer me," Cavallaro said.
He got Albert in the 1990s at a reptile show in Columbus, Ohio. He was 2 months old at the time. The community grew to love him, and they started a petition to bring Albert back home.
Cavallaro's neighbor, Laura Lautner, is saddened by the news.
"I hope they bring him back. I would like to see Albert brought back to the only home that he has known," she said.
Cavallaro added: "This is on them. I'm sorry. They can try to prove their right all they want, but they're wrong."