New developments in legal case surrounding ‘Albert the Alligator’ who was seized from home

By WKBW News Staff

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    BUFFALO, New York (WKBW) — There are new developments in the legal case surrounding “Albert the Alligator” who was seized from a Hamburg home in March 2024.

A judge has ordered the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to process Tony Cavallaro’s previous application to allow him to keep Albert the Alligator. The court said the previous denial of the application was improper and if the DEC doesn’t process the application within 30 days it will be deemed as approved and Albert will be returned to Cavallaro. However, the DEC is only required to process the application, it could be approved or denied. For now, Albert remains at a rehabilitation facility in Texas.

In December, Cavallaro and his attorneys were in court challenging the legality of the DEC’s decision to deny Callavaro’s license to own Albert. They claimed the March 2024 seizure of the 750-pound animal from his home was excessive.

“Mr. Cavallaro as you know has had a license for 30 years and during that time has worked cooperatively with the DEC,” said attorney Peter Kooshoian, appearing before Supreme Court Justice John DelMonte.

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