Gatorama is an alligator farm and visitor attraction in Palmdale, Florida, USA. Alligators and crocodiles are raised on the farm for meat and skins.[1] Gatorama is one of Florida's oldest roadside attractions.[2][3][4] Only six alligator farms are open to the public as attractions.[5]
| Gatorama | |
|---|---|
 Photograph March 2012 | |
 | |
| Slogan | Play Wild! |
| Date opened | 1957 |
| Location | Palmdale |
| Owner | Allen and Patty Register |
| Website | www |
 | |
History
editCecil Clemons opened the farm in 1957.[6][5][7] The alligators were captured locally in the 1960s.[7] Wild crocodiles were caught in Jamaica in 1967-1968.[7]
Allen and Patty Register acquired the property in 2006.[6][8]
Attractions
editVisitors can hold baby alligators as well as pythons.[2][6] Adult participants can perform the "Fast Hands Challenge" to feed an adult alligator.[9] The daily feed show is free with admission, where guests can watch keepers hand feed alligators from the front bridge.[9]
Gatorama has an exhibit dedicated to the critically endangered subspecies Orinoco crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius).[10] The park works with Florida Fish and Wildlife's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) program to rehome nuisance alligators.[11][12][13]
Gatorama also features other native Florida wildlife such as the Florida panther, bobcats, racoons, birds, and snakes.[6][5][8]
In late August, Gatorama hosts an annual Gator Hatchling Festival where visitors can hold an alligator egg while it hatches.[3][6][5]
Gatorama also sells exotic meat at the park and on their website.[14][15]
References
edit- ^ "Gatorama Alligator Farm". Gatorama. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
- ^ a b "Pictures: Gatorama". Chicago Tribune. 2018-05-05. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ a b "Gatorama". My Old Florida. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ Mays, Dorothy (2009). "Gatorland: Survival of the Fittest among Florida's Mid-Tier Tourist Attractions". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 87 (4): 509–539. ISSN 0015-4113.
- ^ a b c d Meer, Elizabeth Vander (2017-11-03). "Alligator Song: A Challenge to Spectacle, Product, and Menace". Society & Animals. 28 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1163/15685306-12341480. ISSN 1568-5306.
- ^ a b c d e Caceres, Vanessa (2018-09-07). "Gatorama: Grunts, Hisses and Old Florida Charm". Visit Florida. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ a b c Garrick, Leslie D.; Lang, Jeffrey W. (1977). "Social Signals and Behaviors of Adult Alligators and Crocodiles". American Zoologist. 17 (1): 225–239. ISSN 0003-1569.
- ^ a b "Gatorama". local.aarp.org. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ a b "Animal Encounters". Gatorama. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ "ORINOCO CROCODILE". Gatorama. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ "NUISANCE ALLIGATOR POD". Gatorama. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ Worley, Debra (2023-02-20). "Alligator living with tape around its mouth freed and relocated". WWNY. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ "Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program". Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ Jacobson, Susan (2015-03-31). "Appetite for gator meat grows in Florida". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
- ^ "Reptile chic: UF wildlife ecologist says Florida alligator farmers cashing in on fashion trend - News - University of Florida". news.ufl.edu. 2006-03-27. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
External links
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