There are certain invitations one is wise to decline: Would you like to come into the back of my van for some candy? Would you climb all the way into the oven my dear…oh, and cover yourself in butter so you slide right in? I would think, ‘Would you like to let your children come pet and play with my 750-pound alligator’ might seem like another obvious invitation for parents to decline. Apparently not!

A man in New York had state authorities seize his 11-foot, 750 pound pet alligator. The reason? He was apparently letting local neighborhood children come over and swim and play with the pet. Tony Cavallaro had built an in-ground pool for the gator, Albert, who had been his beloved pet for more than 30 years. Authorities say he invited kids and adults alike to come play with his gator in the pool.

Noting that a pet alligator is still a “dangerous animal,” state officials took the gator, saying his license for the reptile had expired in 2021.  Cavallaro has hired a lawyer to try and get his beloved gator back. “He’s like family to everybody,” he said.

As someone who’s kept pet pythons that children adored and loved to tote around, I can understand the sentiment of wanting to change people’s ideas about those less-than-cuddly creatures of the animal world. Things with sharp teeth need love too. Still, our snakes were 3-4 feet long and couldn’t swallow a child whole, or rip them in two with a single chomp if they were feeling a little bit cranky. And for as cool as snakes and alligators might be, they are also small-brained reptiles that lack in social skills. So let’s leave swimming and playing with alligators to the experts. Or at least tape their jaw shut first.