Current:Home > Invest11-foot, 750-pound blind alligator seized from Hamburg, NY, home, gator used as attraction-InfoLens
11-foot, 750-pound blind alligator seized from Hamburg, NY, home, gator used as attraction
View Date:2024-12-23 16:57:27
Authorities have seized a 11-foot, 750-pound alligator that was illegally kept at a residence in Hamburg, New York, a town about 20 miles south of Buffalo.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in a news release, said that the alligator was captured Wednesday by officers with the department "in the interest of public safety and the health, safety, and protection of the alligator." It is not immediately clear what prompted the alligator's capture.
"The alligator has numerous health-related issues, including blindness in both eyes and spinal complications," said the department, adding that it was estimated to be around 30 years old.
Watch:Florida couple stumbles across large, hissing gator during walk, 'he's eating good'
Visitors were allowed to view, pet alligator
It was later learned that the alligator's owner originally had a license to keep the wild animal which expired in 2021 and was not renewed, making the possession illegal.
Authorities found that the owner of the home had built an addition to his house and installed an in-ground swimming pool to keep the alligator. He also "allegedly allowed members of the public to get into the water to pet the unsecured alligator".
The alligator was turned over to a licensed caretaker, "who will house and care for the animal until it can be properly transported for permanent care," said the news release.
The department said that charges against the owner will be determined after all evidence is analyzed and a licensed veterinarian assesses the wild animal and its health.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.
veryGood! (87)
Related
- MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup continues with conference semifinals
- Less than a quarter of U.S. homes are affordable for the typical buyer, study shows
- ‘We Must Grow This Movement’: Youth Climate Activists Ramp Up the Pressure
- Aileen Cannon, Trump-appointed judge, assigned initially to oversee documents case
- Wisconsin authorities believe kayaker staged his disappearance and fled to Europe
- How banks and hospitals are cashing in when patients can't pay for health care
- Climate prize winner empowers women in India to become farmers and entrepreneurs
- How a team of Black paramedics set the gold standard for emergency medical response
- What are the best financial advising companies? Help USA TODAY rank the top U.S. firms
- Warren Buffett Faces Pressure to Invest for the Climate, Not Just for Profit
Ranking
- New York nursing home operator accused of neglect settles with state for $45M
- Carrying out executions took a secret toll on workers — then changed their politics
- More Americans are struggling to pay the bills. Here's who is suffering most.
- Trump: America First on Fossil Fuels, Last on Climate Change
- A Pipeline Runs Through It
- New omicron subvariants now dominant in the U.S., raising fears of a winter surge
- Less than a quarter of U.S. homes are affordable for the typical buyer, study shows
- Why Do We Cry?
Recommendation
-
Trump has promised to ‘save TikTok’. What happens next is less clear
-
Donald Trump indicted in documents probe. Here's what we know so far.
-
Food insecurity is driving women in Africa into sex work, increasing HIV risk
-
Victoria's Secret Model Josephine Skriver Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Husband Alexander DeLeon
-
Relive Pregnant Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly's Achingly Beautiful Romance
-
Prospect of Chinese spy base in Cuba unsettles Washington
-
Harry Potter's Miriam Margolyes Hospitalized With Chest Infection
-
What Donald Trump's latest indictment means for him — and for 2024