hey y’all I’m Savannah and this little
guy right here is will II bites Willy
bites it’s a little alligator that I
work with that Gator land and he’s not
much different than any other alligator
other than he is adorable and he has a
great name
really hats out of a nest with 48
brothers and sisters and he came biting
right out of the egg most little
alligators do but Willy had a special
attitude that’s made him a social media
superstar we all love animals right and
baby animals like Willy are the cutest
we never like to see animals get hurt or
maltreated and we’re outraged when they
are animals can be our best friends and
companions we especially love mammals
because they’re cute and fluffy and
furry and we can very easily read their
personalities even ones with faces that
only a mother could love like the baby I
I we’ve even grown to love large
dangerous animals like lions sharks and
hippos sharks even have a whole week
dedicated to them but what goes through
your mind when you see this animal where
did all that love go and where the GoPro
go why is it that we love lions hippos
and sharks but not the alligator in
crocodile I’ve been wondering that for
ever
I’ve always loved reptiles and when I
was a little Savannah I didn’t have very
many friends so most of the friends I
did have were animals that I could catch
like lizards snakes frogs and the
occasional bumblebee I’ve since met my
entire life studying reptiles
more specifically alligators and
crocodiles up close and personal I’ve
learned so many things from alligators
and crocodiles
like patients how to get an amazing
suntan and a healthy fear of humans I’ve
also learned a few things that might
surprise you and change your view as
well today I am their greatest
cheerleader their public defender and I
am a relentless social-media influencer
on behalf of alligators and crocodiles
the world over and my home is right here
in Orlando at Gator land the alligator
capital of the world
when I first started working at Gator
land I went about the business of
walking around and talking to all of the
animals paying attention to their body
language their eye movements their
interactions with each other and their
interactions with us my boss came to me
and asked me very sternly Savannah are
you talking to all those alligators and
crocodiles to which I replied yes with
an inferred uh of course I am he then
asked me further if they talked back and
to that I replied no but that wasn’t
quite true because they do talk back
just not like us
did you know that alligators and
crocodiles are the most communicative of
all reptiles they talk to each other
all the time they talk to each other
with bellows head slaps body postures
and guttural noises their eyes brighten
up when they get excited and yes they
even wag their tails just like all
animals alligators and crocodiles
nurture their young they protect and
defend
but with alligators and crocodiles were
only ever shown their aggressive and
defensive side whether it’s in cartoons
or in the movies any news story you hear
about alligators and crocodiles well
you’re only hearing one side of that
story alligators can’t talk to us and
they don’t have attorneys to help can
you imagine the only time anyone ever
saw you was when you were upset and
hangry you probably wouldn’t be very
well-liked either perhaps you’ve not
seen how the mothers protect their young
carrying the babies in their mouths and
on their heads
mama alligators will sometimes watch
over their babe
for up to three years and smiles well
that’s where they won the lotto
alligators and crocodiles smile more
than any animal in the animal kingdom
this is Dundee he’s a huge saltwater
crocodile and Dundee and I spend time
together every day
right now he’s showing you guys 64 of
the more than 3,000 teeth he’ll go
through in his lifetime Dundee and I
know each other so well that when I
Drive my Jeep to work in the morning he
can recognize the sound of it and meet
me at the gate perhaps you’ve not seen
how they play alligators and crocodiles
will often play with water plants
they’ll wear them on their head they’ll
put them on their heads and swim around
and sometimes they’ll even use an old
t-shirt as a chew toy to practice their
baby death roll this is my friend
Ricardo and Ricardo is a Cuban crocodile
and Ricardo’s favorite game is
hide-and-seek Ricardo likes to hide and
watch me until I catch him watching and
then when I let him know he’s busted he
so awesome meet Mike Heilmann in Sultan
Sultan is a huge Nile crocodile Nile
crocodiles are thought of as vicious
killers killing over 750 people each
year that’s more than twice the number
of people killed by all other
crocodilians species combined but still
not as many people as hippos kill every
year for the most part Nile crocodiles
are feared and hated until you see my
consultant while watching this
interaction we teach people about the
plight of the Nile crocodile and loss of
habitat through human encroachment but
don’t try this with your crocodiles at
home some crocodiles they don’t want to
interact this is Martin Morton wants
nothing to do with me or any
they’re human on the planet Earth except
for to try and eat us we have to
remember these are very dangerous
animals so please don’t feed them in the
wild
respect their space in habitat and if
you’d like to learn more about them come
to a place like Gatorland
now back to my initial question why such
different reactions to these animals
could answer alors bravas ation from
cartoons and movies have shaped our
opinions and beliefs
everyone knows the Lion King the strong
hero that rose from such adversity and
Bruce from Finding Nemo leader of the
fish really shark support group sharks
aren’t bad maybe they just need a little
therapy and dancing hippos what’s not to
love here but how our alligators and
crocodiles always portrayed they’re
always the villain the evil mean animal
that’s lurking in the shadows up to no
good they’ve gotten a bad rap that has
unfortunately had real-life consequences
this is a poached alligator whose tail
was cut off for food and he was left to
die behind a local Publix I believe that
alligators and crocodiles are the same
healthy respects but all animals do so
that we recognize how important they are
to our ecosystems we conserve their
habitats and most importantly we protect
them because this is not okay well I’ve
saved the best for last on the right
side of this picture is my best friend
and his name is black water and black
water is the most punk rock alligator
I’ve ever met I mean just look how high
those spiked osteoderms are on his back
those bony spikes help him regulate
temperature and protect his body black
water has a different world view than
most alligators I’ve ever met he lived
in a bunch of different places with
people he didn’t like very much and
somehow after much ado about nothing he
landed at Gator land to live out his
best life and man does he ever
he walks tall he bellows loud and that
other alligator that’s his girlfriend
penny and he has been with her for two
years black water and I spend time
together every day we go on walks we
play and sometimes we just sit and talk
we do all kinds of things that people
believe could never happen between a
human and
an alligator and let’s be real you guys
all know you have a friend out there
that you wish you could gently close the
mouth up until Hollywood makes a movie
with an adorable alligator or crocodile
character I’m using social media to show
their characters and they are exactly
that characters each one of them is an
individual Ricardo Dundee Blackwater
Sultan and all the rest they’re not
villains alligators and crocodiles are
very dangerous animals but so are lion
sharks and hippos anthropomorphizing has
changed our views by showing you the
softer side of alligators and crocodiles
and using social media in conjunction
with conservation education it is my
hope that we can all realize that these
animals deserve to have safe habitats
that they can call home where they can
find mates raise their young and yes
maybe even play a little so the next
time you guys see those pretty brown
eyes swimming by in your backyard pond
be excited instead of afraid you’re
watching a dinosaur in real life and now
that I’ve all taught you how amazing
these animals are I hereby dub you all
alligator ambassadors and crocodile
Crusaders so y’all go out there spread
the word and help me change the world thank you
guy right here is will II bites Willy
bites it’s a little alligator that I
work with that Gator land and he’s not
much different than any other alligator
other than he is adorable and he has a
great name
really hats out of a nest with 48
brothers and sisters and he came biting
right out of the egg most little
alligators do but Willy had a special
attitude that’s made him a social media
superstar we all love animals right and
baby animals like Willy are the cutest
we never like to see animals get hurt or
maltreated and we’re outraged when they
are animals can be our best friends and
companions we especially love mammals
because they’re cute and fluffy and
furry and we can very easily read their
personalities even ones with faces that
only a mother could love like the baby I
I we’ve even grown to love large
dangerous animals like lions sharks and
hippos sharks even have a whole week
dedicated to them but what goes through
your mind when you see this animal where
did all that love go and where the GoPro
go why is it that we love lions hippos
and sharks but not the alligator in
crocodile I’ve been wondering that for
ever
I’ve always loved reptiles and when I
was a little Savannah I didn’t have very
many friends so most of the friends I
did have were animals that I could catch
like lizards snakes frogs and the
occasional bumblebee I’ve since met my
entire life studying reptiles
more specifically alligators and
crocodiles up close and personal I’ve
learned so many things from alligators
and crocodiles
like patients how to get an amazing
suntan and a healthy fear of humans I’ve
also learned a few things that might
surprise you and change your view as
well today I am their greatest
cheerleader their public defender and I
am a relentless social-media influencer
on behalf of alligators and crocodiles
the world over and my home is right here
in Orlando at Gator land the alligator
capital of the world
when I first started working at Gator
land I went about the business of
walking around and talking to all of the
animals paying attention to their body
language their eye movements their
interactions with each other and their
interactions with us my boss came to me
and asked me very sternly Savannah are
you talking to all those alligators and
crocodiles to which I replied yes with
an inferred uh of course I am he then
asked me further if they talked back and
to that I replied no but that wasn’t
quite true because they do talk back
just not like us
did you know that alligators and
crocodiles are the most communicative of
all reptiles they talk to each other
all the time they talk to each other
with bellows head slaps body postures
and guttural noises their eyes brighten
up when they get excited and yes they
even wag their tails just like all
animals alligators and crocodiles
nurture their young they protect and
defend
but with alligators and crocodiles were
only ever shown their aggressive and
defensive side whether it’s in cartoons
or in the movies any news story you hear
about alligators and crocodiles well
you’re only hearing one side of that
story alligators can’t talk to us and
they don’t have attorneys to help can
you imagine the only time anyone ever
saw you was when you were upset and
hangry you probably wouldn’t be very
well-liked either perhaps you’ve not
seen how the mothers protect their young
carrying the babies in their mouths and
on their heads
mama alligators will sometimes watch
over their babe
for up to three years and smiles well
that’s where they won the lotto
alligators and crocodiles smile more
than any animal in the animal kingdom
this is Dundee he’s a huge saltwater
crocodile and Dundee and I spend time
together every day
right now he’s showing you guys 64 of
the more than 3,000 teeth he’ll go
through in his lifetime Dundee and I
know each other so well that when I
Drive my Jeep to work in the morning he
can recognize the sound of it and meet
me at the gate perhaps you’ve not seen
how they play alligators and crocodiles
will often play with water plants
they’ll wear them on their head they’ll
put them on their heads and swim around
and sometimes they’ll even use an old
t-shirt as a chew toy to practice their
baby death roll this is my friend
Ricardo and Ricardo is a Cuban crocodile
and Ricardo’s favorite game is
hide-and-seek Ricardo likes to hide and
watch me until I catch him watching and
then when I let him know he’s busted he
so awesome meet Mike Heilmann in Sultan
Sultan is a huge Nile crocodile Nile
crocodiles are thought of as vicious
killers killing over 750 people each
year that’s more than twice the number
of people killed by all other
crocodilians species combined but still
not as many people as hippos kill every
year for the most part Nile crocodiles
are feared and hated until you see my
consultant while watching this
interaction we teach people about the
plight of the Nile crocodile and loss of
habitat through human encroachment but
don’t try this with your crocodiles at
home some crocodiles they don’t want to
interact this is Martin Morton wants
nothing to do with me or any
they’re human on the planet Earth except
for to try and eat us we have to
remember these are very dangerous
animals so please don’t feed them in the
wild
respect their space in habitat and if
you’d like to learn more about them come
to a place like Gatorland
now back to my initial question why such
different reactions to these animals
could answer alors bravas ation from
cartoons and movies have shaped our
opinions and beliefs
everyone knows the Lion King the strong
hero that rose from such adversity and
Bruce from Finding Nemo leader of the
fish really shark support group sharks
aren’t bad maybe they just need a little
therapy and dancing hippos what’s not to
love here but how our alligators and
crocodiles always portrayed they’re
always the villain the evil mean animal
that’s lurking in the shadows up to no
good they’ve gotten a bad rap that has
unfortunately had real-life consequences
this is a poached alligator whose tail
was cut off for food and he was left to
die behind a local Publix I believe that
alligators and crocodiles are the same
healthy respects but all animals do so
that we recognize how important they are
to our ecosystems we conserve their
habitats and most importantly we protect
them because this is not okay well I’ve
saved the best for last on the right
side of this picture is my best friend
and his name is black water and black
water is the most punk rock alligator
I’ve ever met I mean just look how high
those spiked osteoderms are on his back
those bony spikes help him regulate
temperature and protect his body black
water has a different world view than
most alligators I’ve ever met he lived
in a bunch of different places with
people he didn’t like very much and
somehow after much ado about nothing he
landed at Gator land to live out his
best life and man does he ever
he walks tall he bellows loud and that
other alligator that’s his girlfriend
penny and he has been with her for two
years black water and I spend time
together every day we go on walks we
play and sometimes we just sit and talk
we do all kinds of things that people
believe could never happen between a
human and
an alligator and let’s be real you guys
all know you have a friend out there
that you wish you could gently close the
mouth up until Hollywood makes a movie
with an adorable alligator or crocodile
character I’m using social media to show
their characters and they are exactly
that characters each one of them is an
individual Ricardo Dundee Blackwater
Sultan and all the rest they’re not
villains alligators and crocodiles are
very dangerous animals but so are lion
sharks and hippos anthropomorphizing has
changed our views by showing you the
softer side of alligators and crocodiles
and using social media in conjunction
with conservation education it is my
hope that we can all realize that these
animals deserve to have safe habitats
that they can call home where they can
find mates raise their young and yes
maybe even play a little so the next
time you guys see those pretty brown
eyes swimming by in your backyard pond
be excited instead of afraid you’re
watching a dinosaur in real life and now
that I’ve all taught you how amazing
these animals are I hereby dub you all
alligator ambassadors and crocodile
Crusaders so y’all go out there spread
the word and help me change the world thank you
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