posted January 25, 2012 04:18 PM            

In November, an unlikely pair took to the skies when two American alligators were flown from the Poconos to Wisconsin to undergo surgery.

The story took a sad turn Tuesday morning when one of the alligators died unexpectedly.

"I'm just blown away by it," said the alligators' owner, John Boyko of Bridgeport, Conn.

Boyko keeps them along with nine other gators in a Price Township home he purchased specifically for his reptilian pets.

The gators were injured last summer when five kids broke into the house and pelted the animals with more than 50 rocks.

Nine-year-old "Juvie Gator" and 6-year-old "Baby Gator" suffered the worst of the injuries.

Juvie had a fractured leg, and Baby, who died Tuesday, suffered ulcers and a hernia after eating some of the rocks the children threw. Baby Gator came to Boyko in 2005 from the Catskill Game Farm.

Juvie underwent a 7-hour operation to repair its leg, and Baby had the rocks successfully removed from its stomach.

Baby seemed to be recovering well from the surgery, Boyko said. Two weeks after the operation, a scope procedure revealed most of the ulcers were healed.

It's not unusual for alligators to eat rocks in nature, according to the alligators' veterinarian, Mike Wenninger, formerly of Creature Comforts in Saylorsburg.

But because Baby's ulcers cleared up soon after the rocks were removed, it's believed the rocks could have contained some sort of toxic material. The toxic material could be naturally occurring metals in the stone or something in the soil where the rocks were found, Wenninger said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the veterinary staff at Spartan Animal Hospital in McFarland, Wis., where the alligators were recovering, are unsure why the animal had died.

Wenninger planned to perform an autopsy and collect tissue samples.

The youths are scheduled to appear in juvenile court this week, Boyko said.

It's unclear when Juvie Gator will be cleared to come home.

The alligators had been recovering in their own personalized enclosures Wenninger built in the basement of the veterinary hospital.

The alligators' $4,000 flight from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport to Wisconsin was provided by Cloud Nine Rescue Flights based in Williamsport and was paid for by the PETCO Foundation.

Wenninger had previously estimated surgery and recovery for both alligators would cost around $20,000 — money Boyko is still trying to raise.

For information on the alligators or to make a donation for their care, visit Boyko's website, www.thegatorguy.com.

posted January 28, 2012 02:37 AM            

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Remember, love can conquer the influences of the planets....It can even eliminate karma.

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