Man kept pet alligator in swimming pool of his swanky home – he even let children pet it

A man keeping a poorly alligator as a pet inside the swimming pool let children get into the water to pet it.

The 30-year-old poorly reptile was seized from the house in upstate New York, US, where it was being kept illegally by a man told off for “seriously endangering the public”. At a whopping 750 pounds, the gator weighed the same amount as a grizzly bear and was 11-foot long when removed from the property in Hamburg, south of Buffalo.

The animal was seized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday (March 13). Following the find authorities shared images of the unwell ‘pet’, saying the creature has numerous health issues including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications.

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The huge gator was being kept in a purpose-built swimming pool(Image: ECOs)

Police were alerted to the existence of the creature and visited property after they were told told the owner had built an in-ground swimming pool to keep his unusual pet. He’d even been letting people get into the water to touch it before it was seized and transported elsewhere to live with a licensed caretake until a more permanent solution could be found.

The owner had formerly held a license to keep the alligator but it expired in 2021 and was never renewed. Following the visit the state determined the area it was being kept failed to meet safety standards.

For obvious reasons, it is usually against the law for a citizen to own an alligator in most US states unless they hold a Dangerous Animal License from the Department of Environmental Conservation. In states that do allow a license, gator keepers need to apply for suitable permits and are subject to inspections, no matter how trained or qualified they may be.

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