The stars of & # 39; Swamp Brothers & # 39; say that rare white gators were stolen, 43 reptiles were killed in a Florida arson

The brothers Robbie and Stephen Keszey, who starred in the television series "Swamp Brothers" on the Discovery Channel in 2011, are begging fans to keep an eye out for a rare white alligator that they believe to have been stolen during the summer. arson on their Florida reptile sanctuary. .

Sumter County Fire Rescue responded to reports of a fire at Animal Crossings of Florida, Inc., in Bushnell on Friday night.

"I tried to grab the door and it was so hot, I sang my hand, I let it go and the flames sprang out of the metal on the side," Robbie says. to Fox 35. "All I could think was, 'Oh my God, all my animals!'

After the fire was contained, officials searched the building and discovered a "total loss".

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A leucist alligator named Snowball was missing and 43 other reptiles – alligators and crocodiles – were found dead.

"The Office of the State Fire Marshal has been contacted and is investigating the cause of the fire which, at this time, appears to be arson," said the Sumter County Sheriff's Office in an online statement on Monday. "Based on the elements observed on the scene, it appears that the building was robbed first and then fired after the robbery of the rare alligator."

Robbie and Stephen shared the police department's message on social media Monday, asking their 42,000 subscribers "to help [them] find Snowball. "

The position was shared by more than 1,540 people on Tuesday night. Dozens of residents have commented on the post to offer their condolences.

"It's terrible … sorry to hear that," wrote a Facebook user.

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"Why would anyone do that? People like that really disgust me," added another.

"It crushes my heart, so saddened by that!", They found Snowball and the bad guys, "said one woman.

Leucistic alligators are incredibly rare. According to Gatorland in Orlando, there are only 12 known to exist in the world today.

Anyone with information about the case – or with knowledge of the whereabouts of the reptile – is asked to call Chris Merritt, Detective of the Sumter County Sheriff, at 352-793-2621 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.