Okay, figured I'd weigh in here. Thank you all for remaining civil in this debate/discussion.  It's always nice to see people putting a lot of thought/research into things.
As Sie mentioned upthread, this would be a very difficult thing to accomplish (traveling alligator + survival in Canada), but it is not impossible. As discussed, there are solutions to many of the concerns brought up, though they are not necessarily easy solutions. Should you decide to go through with your idea, you should definitely keep in mind that the difficult situations, questions, and the need to justify them with a solution/explanation will not end with the alligator's arrival. Since it's such an unusual animal for Nova Scotia, it is very likely that it will continue to encounter problems after it comes into the game.
Hopefully this thread has made you aware of a lot of issues and potential issues. Personally, I would highly discourage it, especially if you have an alternative idea with a much simpler animal (raccoon), but we leave the decision up to you. We will expect a full explanation of the alligator's accommodations, both at sea and at 'Souls, with your joining application, should you decide to go for it. :>
@Bastion
You are continually adding factors on a whim to win this argument. Just think about your argument, and I’m sure you’ll notice there are about a dozen flaws with it. Firstly, you have already stated that the ship is going to be cramped what with a gator and another luperci on board the ship. Factor in cargo, room for the crew and captain to sleep and you’ll find that there is probably only room for one or two passengers besides Elias. After all, as you yourself asked, how big is this ship? Once again I must also stress that any conflict would also be interrupted by the captain and his crew. Do you really think that they’d let a group of passengers on their ship run around killing each other?
As for the bad blood, you are assuming the captain, crew, and passengers are local. How many locals do you believe are willing to make a trip from New Orleans to Freetown anyway? In fact, some of the crew and other passenger may have bad reputations as well, but as long as they have paid their dues the captain, particularly a foreign captain, is not going to care. Certainly Elias might have to take precautions when he is in a local port, but once he is on the ship his reputation is no longer a problem.
Generally when you are on a ship the food is kept on hand. How else would you prevent yourself from starving? A captain is not going to leave port without any provisions whatsoever, or else he faces the starvation and eventual death of his crew. The provisions are usually separated from the rest of the cargo to provide ease of access on ships. As for the accessibility of food, I have been providing ample explanations throughout the entirety of my posts as to how it would be on hand.
As for the route itself, I have already emphasized that it is longer and far more dangerous than the other route for a variety of reasons, water currents included. Actually, it will probably have taken half a year to reach Freetown, so the voyage may have started in the Spring/Summer, which would explain why it is traveling when it should be hibernating. Just as you request I provide ample research to support my ideas, I request that you provide ample research for your arguments, which are obviously lacking in some regards.
I believe that this debate has accomplished my initial goal of proving that it is possible, however unlikely, to transport a fully grown alligator to Souls from New Orleans. However, I will concede that it is extremely unlikely for a luperci to actually go through with the preparations required to do such a thing. The discouraging reviews I have been receiving from the SA have also affected my judgment on the matter, and I am currently considering converting my plan to involve either a baby alligator or a raccoon as stated previously. I agree with their judgment that it would be much simpler to go with either of those two things, and am currently considering dropping this idea altogether.
@Kiri
I concur with your judgement, as I have had similar thought myself.
@Katie
I had never even consiedered that, but it would certianly be a very good way to tie in the alligator into my character's history. Particularly since his family is very old and has had several generations.
I would suggest going with a younger alligator, which would not only be far easier to transport and feed, but also would be much easier to explain. Katie's idea, also, of having an alligator tied into the family's history would also be easier to explain, but more difficult to transport.
Personally, I would go with a baby alligator, but that's just because I am deeply in love with alligators and all reptiles, in general. Not only this, but it is much easier to feed, transport, explain, and then raise a baby alligator than feed, transport and explain an adult alligator.
While an adult can survive much longer without meals, the meals it's eating are also much larger. Baby alligators, as stated before, can subsist on small fish, tadpoles, insects, etc. It wouldn't be that difficult to see someone having a companion being an alligator, especially in Anathema or another pack with hot springs (AT being the only one I can think of at this time).
All in all, I would definitely say that an alligator as a companion would be a very cool idea, and I would recommend it to bring some uniqueness and 'flavor' into the game, but I would definitely consider what the SA said into your decision. However, given a choice, I would think a baby alligator. Not only would it be easier, but it would also acclimate to the climate in Canada and though it would be slower, more languid, etc., it would also be more likely to survive, excepting in extreme situations, such as the blizzard last year. However, I'm assuming that Elias cares about the alligator and would take measures to ensure it's survival in that case.
also.. a gator's size is generally relevant to the size of it's enclosure. so if the baby or even very young gator was transported in a smaller enclosure it would'nt grow much.. a 3 yr gator generally is between a foot and a half to 3 feet long.. they grow between 2 inches to 1 foot per year.. if kept in a small enclosure it would grow more slowly.. and if kept in a springs area that wasn't overly large the gator wouldn't grow quickly either..
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