Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok here is what happened...I live in FLA and work at an alligator farm.My buddy had a baby gator and for one reason or another didn't want it..So i said,sure ill take it and give it to the farm.This happened a few days before thankgiving, and i took the week off from work to go home for a few days,so i was gonna take it when i got back...When i left,I put the gator in a baby pool outside,which my housemate usually uses for her dog.Keep in mind this is a house and the backyard is fenced in by a wooded fence(cant see through it).Well a day before I came home..my roommate called and said she came home from work,and the pool and gator were gone!It happened when NO ONE was at the house.SHe said a neighbor told her that animal control came and took it...now heres the question..is that not completely illegal??Coming into someones backyard without permission,and not only that,taking property of the owners without notifying anyone?Didnt leave a note or explanation or card...no one knew i had it in the backyard,the reason the neighbor knew is because she saw the control.Now I have NO CLUE who came and took it because I want to call and find out the scoop here,and for all they know I could have had a permit for the gator...so I dont mind to much because the gator was gonna go anyway,but the roommate lost the pool and i wanna make sure that these people cant just come into my yard anbd take things without permission..

sorry so long but im aggravated about it...any help or comments are appreciated

or am I completely wrong here?

thanks
mike
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R.I.P Steve Irwin aka Crocodile Hunter

"Never insult an Alligator until you have crossed the river"-oriental proverb

the problem is if you are registered with the state of florida and a neighbor calls that's you have an alligator they can take it because they're not seen as pets. i live in miami and keep crocs and caiman i had my neighbors called the police and the games wardens on me but every time they come i show them my permits and send them packing. they will probaby come back and talk to you about the gator just explain to them what happen and they should just give you a warning it all depends on the games warden. arthur

Well i live in New York and here all they need is a witness to sign a statement saying that they saw an alligator or caiman in your house and they walk right in and take it. don't need anything but that statement from someone else. when "animals" are the subject it's a different story.

soo,when it comes to animals,they can just walk into a house or property with no permission and take things without explanation?

that doesnt seem legal..

but it happened days ago and i still have no explanation

and if they were to come,do I have a right to asked how they found out about it and who told them?
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R.I.P Steve Irwin aka Crocodile Hunter

"Never insult an Alligator until you have crossed the river"-oriental proverb

Well, in New York these animals are ILLEGAL to begin with, therefore, YES they can come in and confiscate the animal if they have an eye witness stating that you have one. However, in the case of whether or not you can find out who provided them the information...the answer is simply...NO. They will not provide you with the name or any information about the person who provided them information. It is a confidentiality thing between the person and the animal control. I had somewhat the same situation (minus the confiscation) where animal control was coming out because someone was complaining that I was not taking care of my dog.

They would state that the dog was remaining outside in the blistering cold (during the day, yes...but he had a nice warm (heated) dog house to go into and then came inside at night) and during the summer, he had a hotspot on the top of his head (which was being treated) and someone claimed that I was not taking my dog to the vet for his injuries.

The animal control officer came out each time and I showed them proof that I was caring for my Dog's needs. I informed them that it was simply a hotspot (which golden retrievers are known quite well for) and I showed them the items that I was using to treat it with. Each time they came out, they simply told me that it was a bogus call and not to worry about it and left.

I requested to know who was complaining...but they wouldnt tell me and said that callers have complete confidentiality with the animal control department.

Soooo, I know how you feel, but unfortunately there really isn't anything we can really do about it in situations like this.

Best of luck with your case!

Chris
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My Website
www.herpfanatic.com

Hmm,well I guess im S.O.L but what really gets me is that there was no explanation to me,and here was NO ONE who knew about it being back there.It was back there for a few days only,in a fenced backyard,and I dont converse with but 1 neighbor and shes cool,she didnt do it and knows nothing about it...I guess im confused about what really happened,I wish the control would come back and explain the situation at least...

thanks guys
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R.I.P Steve Irwin aka Crocodile Hunter

"Never insult an Alligator until you have crossed the river"-oriental proverb

Have you considered calling the animal control department and asking about a confiscation done at your residence? They would at least have to have the confiscation and the location of it on record, therefore could at least give some information as to whether it WAS a complain or not? It might NOT have been a confiscation. Typically, when they confiscate an animal, they do not take the holding enclosure as well. That, technically would be theft. They only capture the animal and place it in one of their holding cages.

I think someone might have snuck in and stole the animal personally.

Chris

>>Hmm,well I guess im S.O.L but what really gets me is that there was no explanation to me,and here was NO ONE who knew about it being back there.It was back there for a few days only,in a fenced backyard,and I dont converse with but 1 neighbor and shes cool,she didnt do it and knows nothing about it...I guess im confused about what really happened,I wish the control would come back and explain the situation at least...
>>
>>thanks guys
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>>R.I.P Steve Irwin aka Crocodile Hunter
>>
>>"Never insult an Alligator until you have crossed the river"-oriental proverb
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My Website
www.herpfanatic.com

I agree that it was probably stolen by someone and AC did not take it. If AC does confiscate something they have to at least leave a notice on your door.
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John Vandegrift

chris and john are right animal control would have only took the gator not the pool and the gator. keep our ears open you will hear about your gator this week. arthur

Someone obviously turned you in. Animal Control does not just randomly go through peoples back yard if they don't have a complaint. Maybe your neighbor is not as cool as you think? They would have known if you had a permit. They can look it up. I just recently got my permit to keep Caiman and the AC officer that inspected my property said you can no longer get a permit for gators in Florida. She said they only give permits for public displays now. Sorry they took it. I would be pretty pissed too if they came in my yard like that. Does your fence have a lock?
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John Vandegrift

I was thinking about someone just stealing it...but the neighbor and a security guard said that AC did it..thing is..there is a TON of AC around here so i dunno who to call..and there are a lot of security guards in our community and the girl in the house doesnt remember much what he looked like..because they all look similar..but yea there was no notice left and the pool was taken..which really is weird..

I know it wasnt the neighbor who said something because she calls me a lot when she needs help,needs a herp removed form her yard..and she knew its been here for months and she likes it too,and like I said shes known about it for a while so I dunno what would spark her to do it now.....so im 99% sure it wasnt her..i guess that does leave 1% LOL.

Like I said I still havent heard anything from any AC and dont know where to start...maybe a call to sherlock holmes is in order??
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R.I.P Steve Irwin aka Crocodile Hunter

"Never insult an Alligator until you have crossed the river"-oriental proverb