The New York man whose 740-pound pet alligator was removed from his home by state officials vowed to fight to get his "baby" back, saying "this is his home."
"I'm really worried about where they got him now," Tony Cavallaro told Fox News Digital. "He likes his pool and his pillows, and he has his routine."
"I know he's not in a good place. This is his home."
State Department of Environmental Conservation police officers removed the 11-foot reptile named Albert from Cavallaro's home in Hamburg, New York earlier this month, saying the reptile was "endangering the public."
Cavallaro disputed that characterization.
"He's a gentle giant," he said. "I'm just a mess right now."
"I get emotional when I start talking about this. I checked on him all day. When I wake up, or I have to use the bathroom, I go in there and see if he's popped up, so I can see him and hang out with him," he continued.
Cavallaro has had the gator since 1990 when it was just two months old. He kept Albert, now 34, in a specially built pool he built at his home in 2016.
Since Albert was taken away, Cavallaro's story has gone viral online, and people from around the world are messaging him on Facebook or emailing him.
He said more than 100,000 people have signed an online petition to return Albert to his "dad."
The community where Cavallaro lives has also rallied around him, planning a rally and wearing T-shirts that say "Free Albert."
Courtney Valent, Cavallaro's friend, told Fox News Digital that Cavallaro will not stop until Albert is returned.
"Tony will do whatever it takes to bring Albert home, and he has an army of support behind him," Valent, president and founder of Empire Animal Rescue Society Inc. in Salamanca, New York, told the outlet.
The state agency that took the reptile cited a lapsed permit and the public's contact with Albert. Authorities previously alleged that Cavallaro let members of the public pet Albert in his pool.
"Possession of animals designated as dangerous, including alligators, is prohibited in New York State except under license from the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)," the agency told Fox News Digital in an email.
"These licenses, along with authorizing possession for regulated activities, protect the animal and the public. In this case, the former owner's license to possess the alligator expired in 2021 and was not renewed," the agency said.
Albert was turned over to a licensed caretaker who will care for him until he can be transported somewhere for permanent care, the state agency said.
