The court determined that the DEC erred in essentially denying the application without a response. It had 30 days to respond starting February 14.
A 750-pound American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) who was seized in Hamburg, NY last year by New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation might be going home soon after a judge ruled that the department, in seizing the alligator, was in the wrong.
Albert the alligator had been with his keeper, Tony Cavallaro since he was a hatchling. Albert is 30 years old, and during that time, state laws changed. In 2020, Cavallero reapplied for ownership of the reptile with the DEC, but instead of granting the permit, the agency seized the reptile for lack of proper permits.
The agency then sent Albert to Gator Country in Texas after a licensed veterinarian examined him. At the time of moving the reptile last year, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation released the following statement:
“Following an extensive examination and initial rehabilitation under licensed veterinary care in Massachusetts, DEC arranged for care at an authorized alligator rehabilitation facility in Texas called Gator Country. The move was scheduled only after the alligator was cleared by a veterinarian and demonstrated a substantial health improvement following weeks of medical care, an appropriate diet, access to necessary UV light, and other living conditions conducive to its recovery. Due to the ongoing enforcement investigation, the Town of Hamburg Court provided the required authorization to transport. The alligator arrives today at the new location and will be housed in a separate enclosure to ensure it continues to receive specialized care consistent with ongoing physical maladies including blindness and spinal conditions from decades of inadequate treatment and care. The location was selected after an evaluation of local and national facilities able and willing to accept an alligator with these specific and significant medical needs. DEC will continue to work closely with the facility monitoring the alligator’s health and wellbeing.”
“I fought tooth and nail for this,” Cavallaro told The New York Post. “They never expected somebody to come back and fight them like I did. They thought they were going to come in and walk all over me like some pansy.”
The court determined that the DEC erred in essentially denying the application without a response. It had 30 days to respond starting February 14.
“There’s no guarantee, but it looks good,” Cavallaro told the Post.”I just want him to have a nice life again. I can’t even imagine what’s going through his head. They don’t think animals have any feelings or nothing, and that’s the farthest from the truth.”
