If your blood pressure wasn't high before, this should do the trick. TouronsOfNationalParks (@touronsofnationalparks) posted an incident in the Everglades involving an alligator and a family portrait.
The video shows a family getting their photo taken on the side of the road with an open-mouthed gator in the grass less than a foot away. One of the children, clearly frightened, is reluctantly pulled into the shot by her mother.
"Get away" can be heard in the background, but the shoot continues. Luckily for the family, it wasn't their last photo.
It should go without saying, but you should not approach wild animals under any circumstances. They can be unpredictable, territorial, and, yes, wild. These animals are not pets, and these parks are not zoos. Remember that we are guests. Just as you would follow the rules at someone's home, you should follow the rules at a national park.
Gators can run about 35 miles per hour in short bursts. Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles reached a top speed of 22.76 mph, per NBC. Gators may be slow in the grand scheme of things, but they're faster than we are. According to the National Park Service for the Everglades, visitors should always stay 15 to 20 feet away from wildlife — for the safety of both people and animals.
It's a miracle that this gator didn't attack. While gators might not be the quickest animals on the planet, they have one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom. According to the Erie Zoo in Pennsylvania, gators can exert up to 2,000 pounds of force per square inch. Their bite is strong enough to cut through steel and bend metal. Why tempt fate?
Human behavior can put animals' lives at risk. For example, if that gator had attacked, it most likely would have been killed for aggressive behavior. Getting too close or provoking wild animals is not worth the risk. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations of any park you plan to visit to keep yourself, your loved ones, and the animals safe.
The family photo op was met with a resounding wave of disapproval.
"Those adults should be arrested for child endangerment," one Instagram user commented.
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Yes — it's rotting their brains 🧠 "I'm stressed out just looking at this," wrote another.
A third asked: "Are they insane? Do they have any idea how fast an alligator can move? Or how strong its jaws are?"
Apparently not.
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