Rotherham man fined for keeping pet alligator called Cliff in garden

A man who kept a 4ft (1.2m) pet alligator called Cliff in a tank in his back garden for a year has been fined.

Ashley Betts claimed he did not know a special licence was needed to keep exotic creatures after police discovered the large reptile at his Rotherham home.

The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to breaching the Dangerous Wild Animals Act at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and was told to pay nearly £1,000 in fines.

Betts, of Carlyle Court, Maltby, now hopes to get Cliff, who has been moved to a temporary home 70 miles away, back by gaining the appropriate licence, the court heard.

He was not prosecuted for any cruelty to the American alligator and the court said there was “no suggestion” the animal was being kept poorly or in a way that was unsafe to other people.

When asked where he got the creature, Betts said he received it from a friend but declined to elaborate, according to the Sheffield Star.

Male American alligators can grow to measure up to 15ft (4.6m) in length and weigh up to 1,100lb (500kg).

They are considered apex predators and typically live in marshes and swamps in south-eastern United States and north-eastern Mexico and feed on fish, other reptiles, birds and mammals.

Betts reportedly kept Cliff in a special outhouse and tank but the confiscated creature is currently being housed at a park in Liverpool.

Police discovered the beast in July 2024 after visiting Betts’ house for a different matter, the court heard.

Betts was fined £333, ordered to pay a £133 surcharge and £468 in costs.

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