At the end of the Katrina Evacuation, Fred Quarles, of Operation Teacup, received a call from the Virginia Wildlife Rescue Shelter.
The shelter had previously nursed an injured Bald Eagle, with a broken wing, back to health, and called for volunteer pilots to return the Eagle to New Hampshire, where it was to be released.
Remembering, that Quarles, a pilot, had offered help locate volunteers to return the Bald Eagle, the Shelter called for help again, with the alligators.Apparently, under Virginia Law, dangerous criminal, lawbreaking alligators are not eligible for Virginia southern hospitality, cannot be kept as pets and needed to be evicted, forthwith.
Several refugee alligators, Gucci and Versacce, from Louisiana swamps (now criminals but not of their own makeing) , which had been evacuated with their owners, had been confiscated by a Virginia Game Warden, who took his job very seriously (in contrast to our Commonwealth Attorneys, Sheriffs, Deputy Sheriffs and Judges, who protect a convicted international drug trafficking criminal, issue him a concealed weapon permit enable him to purchase a gun to feloniously, hold at the head of a woman to intimidate, threaten and otherwise violate the Code of Virginia, and allow him to break bones and cause internal injuries, to keep the woman with child terrorized, while endangering the citizens of Virginia and several other states, with other illegal behavior).
This warden, wanted Gucci and Versacce, obviously dangerous criminal alligators, returned to a new swamp, to comply with the Code of Virginia, rather than putting Virginia taxpayers to the expense of a Virginia Gulag stay, which are reserved for wives of Virginia convicted drug traffickers to keep them shut up.
Thankfully some Virginia Law Enforcement officers know the law. Virginia knows how to deal with criminal alligators at least, while keeping our other dangerous violent lawbreakers on a protected species list.
Without asking the Virginia Tourism Board, the Game Warden turned Gucci and Versacce, over to the shelter, to be rudely evicted,without the normal courtesies and southern hospitality, shown to other Virginia guests.
The shelter quickly secured Federal Transportation Permits, and made arrangements with two zoos in Florida, for the alligators, so Gucci and Versacce would have a new and happy, home.
Operation Teacup was called on again, for the emergency evacuation, before the Federal Wildlife permit, to transport them, expired.Again a call for Operation Teacup Volunteers went out, for the Alligator Express.
Operation Teacup Pilots called in, from as far away as Arizona, volunteering to make the obviously emergency evacuation.
One local call from a high school classmate, Fred Scott, whom had not been seen for 40 years, as well as another volunteer, Jeff Uphoff, with a Mooney M20J, living in Charlottesville and flying out of the Charlottesville Airport.
Scheduling problems prevented either of the two local pilots from returning the alligators home, and time was running out. A flight instructor John F. Darke, Cuyahoga Falls, OH and his student John Pinter, Jr of Akron, OH, volunteered to make the evacuation flight and flew in from Ohio.
Darke and Pinter, came and visited with Quarles overnight, Leigh-Anne Horne from the Wildlife Rescue Foundation brought over Gucci and Versace, and the flight left for Florida the following morning.
While Virginia normally allows our convicted international criminals to bring false accusations so the state can use our gulag system to shut up and silence women to protect our convicted international criminals, on our protected criminal list, Operation Teacup Guest Passengers, normally do not even have their mouths taped shut. However as a flight safety precaution, an exception was made for this flight.
Operation Teacup Pilots are routinely expected to anticipate problems and make command decisions.The alligators were small, but they do have sharp teeth.The flight was completed, in Operation Teacup Fashion, "On Time, Every Time".
Operation Teacup instructor Fred Quarles watched the trip on flight following as the pilots proceeded back to Ohio, that evening. The only bad moment, was when the flight disappeared over West Virginia Mountains, due to loss of Flight Following Contact. A morning phone call, confirmed the flight home, was uneventful. Gucci and Versacce, seemed to be happy in their new swamp and Operation Teacup chalked up another evacuation mission, with a happy ending for two of the more serious Virginia Criminals.:(