ELEVEN-foot blind ALLIGATOR is seized from upstate New York home where owner kept it in a pool and allowed visitors to SWIM with it

On Wednesday, an 11-foot, 750-pound blind alligator was removed from a home in upstate New York.

The 30-year-old alligator, nicknamed Albert, had been living in a man's home on Marie Drive in Hamburg, New York.

According to environmental conservation officers, the man had designed his house to suit the alligator.

He built an addition to his house that was fitted with an indoor pool for his prehistoric pet.

Conservation officials alleged that the alligator's owner let visitors get in the pool with the reptile to pet  him

According to environmental conservation officers, the man had designed his house to suit the alligator

The conservation officers alleged that the man, whose identity has not been reported, allowed visitors to get into the pool to pet the unsecured alligator. 

While the man did previously have a DEC license for possession of Albert, the license expired in 2021, and the man did not renew it. 

The alligator's health was deteriorating. It developed blindness in both eyes and spinal complications.

In collaboration with Hamburg's police department and the Erie County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the conservation officers were able to secure the alligator and remove him from the home via a stretcher. 

This action prompted outcry from several Facebook users who claimed to be familiar with Albert and his owner. 

One user named Nadine Kaczmarski wrote: 'I am absolutely heartbroken! I used to clean this man's house. My husband helped build (the) inside of Albert's atrium. It was top-of-the-line, a proper environment for Albert to live in.'

She went on to claim that Albert was 'used for educational purposes,' and said that he 'needs to be returned to his HOME!'

Another user, Joelle Janish, wrote: 'This is hard to watch. He loves Albert. He has always been well taken care of.'

The alligator's health was deteriorating. It developed blindness in both eyes and spinal complications

The 30-year-old alligator has been committed to the care of a licensed professional until such at such a date when a permanent home has been found

She urged people who have interacted with Albert and his owner to gather pictures from their experiences and 'get on the news and show what a nice environment he was living in.'

And Laura Lautner decried the conservation officers' actions, writing that it was 'Absolutely HORRIBLE that gov't can just come and take someone's beloved pet.'

She also took issue with the manner in which the officers transported the alligator in the van: 'how they treated him by not securing him in the van was UNCONSCIONABLE...I'm beyond disgusted.' 

The authorities have committed Albert to the care of a licensed professional. 

This professional will act in the capacity of a temporary guardian, housing and caring for the alligator until it can be taken some place for permanent care. 

Authorities said that charges against the man are pending an interview with a veterinarian and the careful review of evidence taken from the home.