A man who illegally kept an unlicensed alligator in a purpose built enclosure in his back garden has been ordered to pay nearly £1,000 in fines and costs after it was seized by the police.
Ashley Betts, 32, kept ‘Cliff’ the American alligator in a purpose-built outhouse and tank in his back garden for more than a year before it was found and seized by police.
But the father-of-three is now bidding to get the ‘pet’ back – after sharing videos of himself feeding the animal on TikTok.
Writing on Facebook, he complained: ‘It’s only 5 foot there [sic] acting like it was a man eater’.
Videos shared by Betts on TikTok showed the alligator reaching its head, neck and arm over the edge of its tank as it is fed raw chicken.
A second clip featured the animal lying still in a bathtub, with its mouth apparently zip-tied shut.
The reptile, which the court heard was actually four feet, or 1.2 metres long, was discovered on July 11 last year by officers who were visiting on a separate matter and who asked Betts for his licence to own the animal.
Sheffield Magistrate’s Court heard on March 12 how Betts from Rotherham, South Yorkshire ‘did not know’ he needed papers to keep the alligator as he pleaded guilty to breaching the Keeping Dangerous Animals Act.
Ashley Betts, 32, kept ‘Cliff’ the American alligator in a purpose-built outhouse and tank in his back garden for more than a year before it was found and seized by police
One clip of Cliff posted online appeared to show the animal’s mouth tied shut with zip ties
The reptile, which the court heard was four feet, or 1.2 metres long, was discovered on July 11 last year by officers who were visiting on a separate matter and asked Betts for his license to own the animal
When later asked by officers where he got the animal, the 32-year-old said he had been given it by ‘a friend’ a year earlier, but he declined to say who.
The court heard Cliff was seized by inspectors from Rotherham Borough Council’s animal welfare service, and is now reportedly being kept at an unspecified park in Liverpool.
However, it also heard Betts is now working to get the alligator back.
His defence counsel, Mr James Gray, told the court: ‘Mr Betts is not being prosecuted for neglect or mistreatment.
‘What he is hoping to achieve is by working with the appropriate departments of the council he can one day obtain a licence and apply to get the alligator back.’
In sentencing, the bench said there was ‘no suggestion’ the animal was being kept poorly, or in a way that was unsafe to the alligator or other people.
Betts was fined £333, ordered to pay a £133 surcharge and £468 in costs.
Despite Betts not being investigated for mistreatment, his online followers did express concern at the size of Cliff’s enclosure.
Betts was fined £333, ordered to pay a £133 surcharge and £468 in costs for having the alligator without a licence
The court heard Cliff was seized by inspectors from Rotherham Borough Council’s animal welfare service, and is now reportedly being kept at an unspecified park in Liverpool
‘Needs a bigger tank that lad, don’t be moaning when it grows up and bites ye nose off,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘That enclosure is tiny you need to care for him properly.’
As well as Cliff, Ashley’s social media boasts of him owning multiple luxury cars and large collections of alcohol.
The American alligator is a large crocodilian reptile native to the southeast of the United States and a small section of northeastern Mexico.
Adult male American alligators usually measure between 3.4 to 4.6 metres in length, while adult females have an average length of between 2.6 to 3 metres.
Local authorities can issue licences for wild animals such as wild cats, primates, wild dogs such as wolves, certain types of pigs and marsupials.
It is not known how exactly how many dangerous animals are legally owned in the UK, but data released in 2016 revealed that across more than 100 councils, just ten alligators were legally registered.
