GATORLAND - Love it or hate it?

[aydeepee]

Just out of curiosity - am I on my own in thinking Gatorland is a really unpleasant place?
I found it cruel (gators being sat on as photo opps with their mouths taped up), being wresltled by 17 stone keepers, some huge gators being kept in squalid, really small enclosures and the fact that they sold gator heads in the shop as souveniers!
Plus I found it really expensive.
Overall a really unpleasant day - or is it just me?

[pinkspideruk]

I dont like gator land - i got attacke by a posionous caterpillar and ended up in hospital and having to have little spikes remopved form my arm - the rest of my holiday was spent with my central nervous system being wrecked by the toxins and all my limbs randomly jumping! - they were so sympathetic - wouldnt let me stamp on the caterpillar and gave me an icecream for my distress! ( i was a young kid at the time mind) so havent been back since - if i want to be attacked i can do that by jumping on a wasps nest and it would be far less unpleasant!

[Guest]

hate it for various reason which this isnt the appropriate place to discuss it

[BIGDENNIS10UK]

I didn't mind it when i went, thought it was quite good, but i was telling my g/f abot it and she didn't seem keen, she thinks it sounds cruel, so don't know if we will be doing it this year, can't remember it being expensive though?

[kjb442]

We hate the place and will never go there.I've seen loads of video and pictures that was enough. It's cruel, unnatural and degrading for the animals but they get away with it under the guise of 'protection and conservation the species'... Each to their own but I would advise anyone to boycott the place

[spoony]

Never been there because the publicity photos remind me of a animal encounter experience I did once in Bangkok (now that was cruelty, incredibly small cages and tortured looking animals) and I just can't stand to go back to a similar kind of place.

[Dinglebert]

Very interesting. We were considering this for this year but will now give it a miss. Had no idea.

[Guest]

I guess it depends what you want to get out of it?

It is an alligator farm first and foremost that has opened it's doors to the paying tourist? Have you ever been to the local petting farm or do you buy free range eggs, no real difference IMO except no one gets petted, the gators don't get hounded. Degrading is a human emotion. These creatures don't care, they get fed, no predators or humans shooting at them for fun, they do no harm have a reasonable life then they die for meat. Admittedly my beef or lamb can't do tricks but same process.

It gives people the opportunity to see real alligators. I had never seen one before I visited GL. An experience and I like to get as many of them in as I can

[Juliemack]

we arrived late afternoon and only paid half the entrance fee which I was glad about as we only spent about half an hour inside...hated it!

[dbm001]

I've been a couple of times, and to be honest quite enjoyed it. It's somewhere you can pass a few hours and see the Alligators up close. It's by no means a 'must do', but I think it's an enjoyable afternoon place to go. As for the cruelty issues, as jaspurr said, this is a farm. The animals seem well fed and looked after, so I don't have a problem.

I'm sure however if I got attacked by a posionous caterpillar it would put me off too!