Wildlife Rehabilitators in New Jersey

June, 1998

A Passion for Snakes and Snails

It’s a plot worthy of a Stephen King novel: a young, married couple living in suburbia is awakened by faint, eerie noises and scratching sounds emanating from another room.
Carefully maneuvering down darkened hallways, they flick on the lights and discover they are surrounded by alligators, lizards, tarantulas, scorpions, cockroaches and giant marine toads. Fiction? Nope. Just another typical night at the Boesenberg household.
Bill Boesenberg and wife Diane are the willing keepers of a large menagerie of reptiles, amphibians, and other creatures of the creepy, crawly variety. Currently, they care for over 100 individual animals, representing over 80 different species.
Bill Boesenberg exhibits their brood in educational programs for schools, libraries, scouts, or birthday parties—you name the event, they’ll put together a program featuring about a dozen creatures.
Born in Brooklyn, Bill didn’t have a lot of wildlife to observe as a child, except the occasional cricket, spider or mouse in his grandmother’s tiny, urban back yard. However, they were enough to lure him into a world inhabited by critters (especially the cold-blooded variety) most people see only in their nightmares.
Bill began his life-long career as an animal handler and rehabilitator in earnest at age eighteen, when he was hired by the Newark Museum to work in their Mini Zoo. The small but well-kept zoo showcases tamarinds, meercats (remember Timon in the Lion King?) desert lizards, cockatoos, small mammals, reptiles, and turtles.
He quickly became a program presenter and found he enjoyed explaining the lives and times of our feathered, furred, shelled and scaly friends to children and adults.
Bill went on to work for the Plainfield Animal Hospital as a technician and exotic animal specialist. Here, he learned how to care for animals in a veterinary capacity, earning his wildlife rehabilitator’s license from the New Jersey Department of Fish, Game and Wildlife. He is one of a handful rehabbers in New Jersey that specialize in reptiles and amphibians.
"You have to convince them you know what you’re talking about and know what you’re doing," he said. "You’ve got to have a working knowledge and ability, not just the desire to work with animals."
Today, Bill is at it close to full-time, calling his business "Snakes ‘n Scales and Turtle Tales." He began by doing live animal presentations, but—unlike many other fields—he found a lot of money goes back into taking care of the animals, for food, shelter, and medical supplies.
To supplement his income, he consults for New Jersey Pets, a pet store chain with locations in Verona, South Orange and East Hanover. He also does some work for the Bergen County Zoo in Van Saun Park.
While the business is all Bill’s, Diane helps out with grooming, feeding, and medications, and often accompanies Bill to presentations. "She’s not at all squeamish," Bill says of his bride.
In addition to his rehabber’s license, Bill holds a special exhibitor‘s permit. "You have to prove you have experience doing programs and know what kind of care to give and which diets are involved. It’s almost like being your own zookeeper," he said.
The Boesenbergs care for and exhibit many species native to New Jersey including the box turtle, wood turtle, snapping turtle, eastern king snake, northern pine snake, and a rare corn snake confiscated from its owner. "I have it now although, since it’s an endangered species, technically, it belongs to the state, so it’s my ward—I can keep it for programs," he said.
His more exotic friends include a baby Nile crocodile, an African spur tortoise (an unwanted pet rescued by Bill) a Boa constrictor, a python, scorpions, and several red-eared sliders—a kind of turtle native to the deep south. One peculiar creature, an Amphiuma (commonly called a Conger eel), is actually a giant salamander.
By arrangement with the state, Bill takes care of orphaned and confiscated animals taken away from owners due to neglect, abandonment, or because it is illegal to own that particular animal in New Jersey.
State regulations are strict—even a box turtle requires a basic hobby permit, as do ferrets, parrots, frogs and most exotic animals. Some species are illegal to own under any circumstances, like sharks or electric eels.
Sometimes Bill is able to place orphaned pets with willing owners. He places them based on his evaluation of the animal and the person. If the species requires a permit, Bill verifies that the permit is in force before handing over the animal. "I can’t just let them go," he said.
Sadly, Bill gets calls on a weekly basis to go pick up an animal someone no longer wants. "I got a call recently to pick up a baby alligator somebody left in the bathtub of an abandoned apartment," he said. "By the time the landlord called, it had been left without food or water for about a month. It had worn tracks in the tub from trying to claw its way out, and was covered in enamel dust." After a large dose of TLC from Bill, the ‘gator is now doing just fine.
Why did the landlord finally make the call? "Probably because she couldn’t rent the apartment with an alligator in the bathtub," he said. "It’s always the same—‘It was cute as a baby, but now it’s too big.’"

• To contact Bill Boesenberg for a listing of his programs or to request a brochure, call 973-515-8311.

• For immediate rehab assistance in a wildlife emergency you can call Bill at 201-475-0685. Bill belongs to the Wildlife Rehabilitors Association of New Jersey, and will refer you to someone in your area who can help.

• For information on Exotic Species Permits, contact the New Jersey Department of Fish, Game and Wildlife at (609) 292-9591.

• To view the state list of Wildlife Rehabilitators, click here.

Copyright © 1998 Karen L. Siletti