Young alligator being treated in McFarland dies
19.05.12
A young alligator being treated by a veterinarian in McFarland
for internal injuries after swallowing a rock has died, the
animal's owner said Tuesday.
Baby Gator was brought to the Spartan Animal Clinic from
Pennsylvania in December after being injured by a group of
gator-baiting boys. The cause was not yet known, said owner John
Boyko, who was told of the death by the vet, Dr. Michael
Wenninger.
"Everyone is pretty shocked. It's not like it was very sick,"
Boyko said.
The injured Baby Gator and Juvi Gator were among 10, plus one
caiman kept by Boyko in an East Stroudsburg, Pa., residence. He
said four boys face charges in juvenile court in connection with a
break-in at the home in June. Baby Gator swallowed one of the rocks
the boys chucked at the animals.
Boyko, an electrical contractor, said the alligator probably
thought the rock was a marshmallow, as the reptiles - some rescued
from bankrupt animal parks and people who didn't want them anymore
- like to flip the marshmallows and swallow them as treats.
Source: Madison.com