Tony Cavallaro says the reptile he named Albert is a gentle giant he treated like family and who lived in a custom addition in his house.
is fighting for its return, saying the reptile he named Albert and has shared a home with for more than three decades is a gentle giant that's no danger to anyone.
Cavallaro, 64, sees Albert differently. His alligator was born and raised in captivity and has never showed signs of aggression toward people or other animals, he said. He recalled finding Albert curled up with his dog on the dog's bed when the alligator was smaller.“He’s just a big baby,” Cavallaro said Tuesday, showing pictures of Albert gripping a stuffed alligator in its teeth and resting his chin on a stack of pillows.
He spent $120,000 on a custom addition to his house designed around Albert, complete with heated floors, a filtering indoor pond with a waterfall and spa jet, tropical plants and a bar. Owning Albert is the culmination of a lifelong interest in reptiles, said Cavallaro, who has previously owned caimans, similar to an alligator, a monitor and a menagerie of lizards.He disputes the DEC's claim that Albert has “numerous health-related issues, including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications.”
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