A state agency seized his best friend of 33 years: A pet alligator

By Kyle Melnick, The Washington PostTony Cavallaro shows photos of his alligator, Albert, on March 19, 2024, in Hamburg, N.Y. Albert was seized by the Department of Environmental Conservation in mid-March 2024.

While most people choose dogs, cats or small animals as pets, Cavallaro bought an alligator, Albert, at a reptile show in 1990. The duo provided each other company for nearly 34 years, often by the indoor pool Cavallaro built for Albert. Cavallaro brushed Albert’s teeth and fed him chicken, pork and cheese cubes. Cavallaro said Albert snipped at him as a baby but hasn’t acted aggressive in decades. Albert doesn’t even tear his stuffed alligator and dinosaur toys.

Many days, Albert savors sitting under the waterfall or by an air jet. Cavallaro enjoys brushing the bottom of Albert’s legs, where he’s ticklish, prompting Albert to smile and duck underwater to escape. Cavallaro said his friends posed for pictures next to Albert. The Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement to The Post that allowing people to come into contact with an alligator is “prohibited and grounds for license revocation and relocation of the animal.”

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