7-ft., Chicken Nugget-Eating Gator Removed from Home; Owner Says Exotic Pet Is 'Like a Dog'

The alligator, illegal to own in Kansas City, has been moved to a wildlife rescue center

Authorities in Kansas City, Missouri, discovered an unexpected resident when they went to evict a man from his grandmother’s home.

According to WQAD, officers were sent to the residence on Wednesday to evict a man named Sean Casey. Casey told the local news station that the home belongs to his grandmother, who is currently in a nursing home, but is owned by a trustee. It is this owner who had Casey evicted.

Along with Casey, the authorities found three snakes, a rabbit named Dinner and a 7-ft., 200-lb. alligator inside the home. Animal Control was called in to remove the gator; officials said it was the biggest they have ever handled. To ensure the animal’s safety, Animal Control called in a rescue group to help relocate the unusual pet.

Casey said the reptile hasn’t always been upwards of 200 lbs. Four years ago, the reptile was only about 15-in.-long, and grew bigger over time on a steady diet of “chicken nuggets, steak, deer and fish,” the owner said.

“He was like a dog. I don’t think he knew he was an alligator,” Casey told WQAD. “I tell people all the time I’ve got an alligator who can’t swim. He is scared of the dark and scared of thunderstorms.”

The gator’s dad said he is going to fight to get his pet back, but since pet alligators are illegal in Kansas City, the law is not on his side.

For now, the alligator, who allegedly loves sitting on laps, is being kept at a wildlife rescue center in nearby Greenwood, which is home to several other illegal pet alligators that got too big for their owners.