The alligator was seized after being kept “illegally” at a home in New York.
Earlier this week, Environmental Conservation Officers (ECO) relocated the 11-foot, 750-pound animal that had been living in a home in Hamburg, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation announced in a Facebook post.
The alligator, which has “numerous health issues, including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications,” according to the organization, was living in an in-ground pool that the homeowner built and installed as an addition to his home.
The homeowner allegedly allowed people into the pool to “pet an unprotected alligator,” according to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
The alligator was confiscated.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
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The owner, who has not been identified, had a DEC permit for the alligator, but it expired in 2021, the environmental agency said.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation added that the permit had not been renewed at the time the alligator was discovered.
According to the group, ECO worked with Hamburg City Police and the Erie County SPCA to seize the gator “in the interest of public safety and the health, safety and protection” of the reptile.
According to a post on social media, the animal has now been handed over to an authorized keeper who will “adopt and care for the animal until it is properly transported to permanent care.”
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The NYS Department of Environmental Protection also noted that charges against the homeowner will be determined after all evidence is analyzed and a licensed veterinarian evaluates the alligator and its health.
The animal is believed to be 30 years old, according to the organization.
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Source: HIS Education