Man tries to retrieve pet alligator seized by police: 'My baby'

A 64-year-old man living in New York, United States, is struggling to get back his pet, a 34-year-old crocodile weighing about 350 kg, which was confiscated by police. Since March 13, Tony Cavallaro has been living without his “baby,” as he himself told the Washington Post.

Police and agents from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation took the animal, named Albert, over allegations that the owner allowed other people to approach the reptile and touch it, which is prohibited.

But Tony disagrees and says he is devastated and his life is ruined. Since 1990, he has bred unusual animals such as lizards and snakes, and bought Albert when the crocodile was just two months old. Since then, he has raised this reptile in a pond he built specifically for this purpose.

He had an environmental license to raise alligators for educational purposes. So take the animal to fairs, colleges and parks.

Albert's barn was designed specifically for him and renovated in 2016. He was fed pork and chicken. Tony even included Albert in his will, telling him to go to a protective retreat in Florida.

He admitted that he allowed his friends to take pictures with the docile animal. Tony is now trying to get the animal back in court. “It's my baby,” he told The Washington Post.