I Held an Alligator Today!
Today (Friday) is Paul’s day off.
We’re always looking for something fun to do with our girls on Fridays; we have the time, and parks and zoos and such aren’t nearly as crowded on Fridays as they are on Saturdays. And, of course, Sundays are out.
During trips to Titusville to meet with a fellow Youth Director, Paul has noticed a very large alligator/building on Florida HWY 50. “Jungle Adventures” reads the sign. He’s always been curious to see what’s behind that double-length-trailer-sized alligator building.
So today, we found out.
For $18.50 apiece (yes, a little pricey, but hey! the kids got in free!) we got to see 2 black bears, about 10 Florida panthers, raccoons, one rather large turtle (like, the size of a large Rubbermaid storage tote), 2 coatimundi, 2 peacocks (one was Albino!), two different breeds of deer, a wolf, a smattering of baby alligators, turtles, and one wild boar. Oh, and a real-life Seminole indian named Standing Bear.
And about 8-10 alligators who weighed in at about 200 to 300 pounds. According to the guide, a 300 lb. alligator’s bite registers about 1500 pounds of pressure. Yikes.
During the group demonstration we were allowed to hold a 1-year-old alligator. He was about 18 inches long and 2-3 pounds. Oh, and his mouth was taped shut. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have held him. The guide told us that this little alligator’s bite force was about 80 pounds. (For reference, an adult human’s bite is about 125.) Hence, the tape.
It was so cool.
I held him first, then Paul, and then…Jane.
Yep, my baby screwed up enough courage to hold him all by herself. And except for her full body shiver and subsequent lower lip protrusion (early warning fear/crying) when the alligator turned back toward her and his tail touched her chest, she did great! Such a brave girl.
When they brought out the snake, though, she couldn’t seem to muster the desire to hold it. (neither could Paul.)
She did, however, touch the snake while I held him. I was so proud.
We watched alligators being fed, we fed many of the animals listed above, and after almost dying from the heat and humidity, headed home.
What a great experience. I’m so glad we took the risk and checked out “Jungle Adventures.”
If you have little ones, and can spare the admission price, I’d suggest you check it out, too.
Filed under: General, Catbird, Local Color, Tidbits on August 25th, 2006
I’m with Paul and Jane on the snake holding! Yuck–with a giant full body shiver!
That is so cool. We need to go there sometime. We’ve seen it so often but never stopped. Sometimes you can see one of the Black Bears up in a tree near the fence as you drive by.
I’ve always wondered what was behind that building. Glad you had such a great time!!!
[…] This was the verbal description of our fun and exciting trip to Jungle Adventures. […]