MANTECA, Calif. — A Manteca couple is fighting to save their pet gators after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told them the reptiles must go elsewhere or be euthanized.
Mike and Sue Schultz say they have legally kept Bindi the caiman and Regis the American alligator in their enclosures for decades, and they are desperately searching for a way to keep them.
They are dreading a May 4 deadline after they were denied a restricted species shelter permit because the enclosures did not meet state caging and enclosure standards, according to Fish and Wildlife.
"I could never imagine our lives without these alligators. They are our pets. The thought of them not being here is devastating to our family completely," Sue Schultz said.
Fish and Wildlife Captain Patrick Foy said a Fish and Wildlife officer came out in 2021 for a routine inspection and told the Schultz's that they needed to make Bindi and Regis's enclosures bigger.
Officers came out again in 2022, 2023 and on April 4, 2024 to give the Schultz's final notice.
"These are minimum standards that we have explained to them over and over again. And they have so far failed to comply," Foy said.
The Schultz's dispute Fish and Wildlife's interpretation of the enclosure standards and have tried to appeal.
They also point out that the enclosures haven't changed from when they were approved for more than a decade.
Unfortunately, Schultz said she accidentally sent the appeal to the wrong email address.
The Manteca couple is hoping that Fish and Wildlife will give them one more chance.
"For the alligators, they shouldn't have to pay for anything we've done. When they're safe and happy and healthy, they shouldn't have to pay," Schultz said.
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