Credit: Nick Reid / @gagegouldingtv on TikTok
Are internet likes worth putting your life at risk? A Florida man certainly thought so after recklessly jumping into an alligator enclosure in a popular theme park.
While Floridians surely want to shake off the terrible image of the “Florida man” memes, the behavior of some makes it a nearly impossible task, especially with people constantly performing irrational, illogical, ridiculous, and absurd actions in the state and shamelessly posting them online with complete disregard for the consequences. And a young man recently put his life at risk, pushing the “Florida man” line by thoughtlessly jumping into a live alligator enclosure at a popular Florida amusement park.
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A video shared by FOX News 13 in the Tampa Bay area, crediting Nick Reid, shows a young man inside a live alligator enclosure at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The man can be seen yelling incoherently at what looks like a GoPro camera in his hand, poorly imitating an Australian accent — probably feeling like the beloved Steve Irwin, host of The Crocodile Hunter (1996-2007) — and mocking Busch Gardens employees and bystanders who likely were conflicted between fear of the man being attacked by an alligator and laughter at his irrational actions.
A Busch Gardens Tampa Bay employee can be seen and heard asking the thoughtless Guest to “get back out” of the enclosure, and a bystander can be heard yelling, “It’s very dangerous.” Unsurprisingly, a large crowd formed around the scene, with multiple Guests pulling their phones out and recording the reckless incident.
By the end of the video and after putting his life at risk, the man, Florida’s own “alligator hunter,” can be seen running toward the fence of the alligator enclosure. However, it is unclear if his actions were motivated by the end of his “prank” or by an alligator eager to teach him a lesson. Honestly, are a few likes online worth endangering your life? This Florida man probably thought, “Yeah, they are,” and looked for a quick trip to put himself “Down Under.”
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Journalist Gage Goulding (@gagegouldingtv) also posted the frustrating video on TikTok, which you can see below:
❌ DON’T DO THIS ❌ A man hopped the barrier around an alligator exhibit at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Nick Reid says the guy was roughly 5 feet away from an alligator before getting back on the other side. 📸: Nick Reid #news #swfl #florida #tiktoknews #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #explore #onlyinflorida #fl #floridaman #fypシ #newstok #gator #alligator #tampa #tampabay
@gagegouldingtv ❌ DON’T DO THIS ❌ A man hopped the barrier around an alligator exhibit at Busch Gardens in Tampa. Nick Reid says the guy was roughly 5 feet away from an alligator before getting back on the other side. 📸: Nick Reid #news #swfl #florida #tiktoknews #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #explore #onlyinflorida #fl #floridaman #fypシ #newstok #gator #alligator #tampa #tampabay
♬ original sound – Gage Goulding 📺
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay officials have stated that the man, who violated Park policy — in case there were still doubts about that — jumped two fences to get inside the alligator habitat and ignored multiple signs indicating that it was a restricted area — again, in case it wasn’t clear for Guests. Who thinks that jumping into an alligator habitat is a safe idea? What could’ve possibly gotten into this “alligator hunter’s” head?
In a statement to FOX 13, Busch Gardens said, “We will not tolerate this blatant disregard of our safety rules and are working with law enforcement on this matter. The safety and well-being of our Guests, ambassadors, and animals remains a top priority.”
Fortunately, Busch Gardens’ security and animal care teams responded immediately, and no people or animals were injured during the incident. However, that doesn’t make the Guest’s reckless behavior less frustrating.
What do you think of this “Florida man’s” actions? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!
