Article: "Pocono alligators dress up for plane trip to Wisconsin veterinarian"

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http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111112/NEWS/111120332 (Images in link)By Christina TatuPocono Record WriterNovember 12, 2011 Forget snakes on a plane.On Thursday, it was a pair of alligators that flew from the Poconos to Wisconsin.The gators were headed to the Spartan Animal Hospital in McFarland, Wis., where veterinarians will try to repair a leg fracture on 9-year-old "Juvie Gator," and a hernia on 6-year-old "Baby Gator."Video: Watch as the gators are readied for journeyThe American alligators are owned by John Boyko, who keeps Juvie and Baby — along with nine other gators — in a Price Township home he purchased specifically for his reptilian pets.Boyko's gators were injured this past summer when five kids broke into the Monroe County house and pelted the animals with more than 50 rocks.Thanks to a veterinarian who once practiced in Monroe County and relocated to Wisconsin, the gators will now be getting specialized care over the next four months.And how do you prepare to transport two injured alligators in an airplane?Well, you dress them first in pajamas, of course.Alligator fashionistasBefore sunrise Thursday, Boyko arrived at the gator house, bringing an armful of child-sized hoodies and fleecy pajamas he picked up at Target the night before.The alligators don't like temperatures below 72 degrees, he explained."Which one do you think?" he asked, as he held up a two sizes of brown Onesies with dinosaurs and alligators on them.Boyko cut off the lower half of the child-sized body suit and held the gator, its mouth taped shut, so he could snap the suit around its front legs. Overtop of the suit, he zipped a child-sized hoodie.The hoods come in handy if the alligators get spooked, he explained."You can flip the hood over their eyes," Boyko said.And when they can't see, the gators go still.Now boarding...At 7 a.m. Thursday, Boyko loaded the two alligators into the back of his Ford Explorer and headed to the airport.The gators had freedom of movement in the backseat, where they could spread out before being loaded into crates for the plane ride.The $4,000 flight was offered by Cloud Nine Rescue Flights based in Williamsport and was paid for by PETCO Foundation. The flight was originally scheduled to leave from Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport, but heavy fog made it impossible for the pilot to land.The gators took off from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport instead."I think it's safe to say that a MedEvac flight for alligators has never, ever been done before," Boyko said.Surgeries aheadAfter they have their procedures next week, the alligators will spend about 14 weeks recuperating in a specially constructed enclosure in the basement of the animal hospital.The set-up is warmed by heat lamps and includes ponds with special ramps so Juvie Gator can easily slide into the water while his leg heals.The procedures will be performed by veterinarian Mike Wenninger, formerly of Creature Comforts in Saylorsburg.Wenninger, who has extensive experience with anesthesia and surgery for reptiles, relocated to Wisconsin earlier this year."I don't think the surgery is very risky if you have the proper medical support and equipment," Boyko said.Celebrity statusBoyko became somewhat of a celebrity in 2003 when The New York Times covered his fight with Connecticut to keep his alligators.Boyko had been keeping pet alligators since 1994, but the state confiscated them after his roommate's brother complained about the animals.The three alligators Boyko owned at the time were moved to a local zoo while officials mulled what to do.In Connecticut, the state's Department of Environmental Protection has the discretion to issue permits for alligators, but denied Boyko's request.His only option was to either surrender them to a zoo or move them to a state that does not require permits for exotic reptiles.Enter Saylorsburg resident Betsy Gimbel, who offered the alligators refuge after reading The New York Times article.In 2005, Gimbel died, and Boyko moved the animals to Price Township, where he drives from his Bridgeport, Conn., home once a week to care for them.During the week, neighbors keep watch on the house. In fact, it was a neighbor who caught the five children who broke into the house earlier this year.On Thursday morning, neighbors Dave and Athena Trechel came to make sure Boyko made it to the airport.At one time the Trechels were leery of the beasts, but they have grown used to them during the six years they've lived next door."We have gator neighbors," Athena Trechel said, "and we don't mind."