iStockphoto / tswinner
A video of some airboat enthusiasts sitting in a river in Florida and hand-feeding alligators has gone viral after grabbing the attention of millions.
I first came across this video about a week ago via the popular ‘Omgitswicks’ Floridian humor account, and tweeted it out.
Since then, the footage jumped to the popular ‘OnlyInFlorida’ Instagram account where it has continued to go viral.
Personally, I prefer the ‘omgitswicks’ version of the video where he repeats ‘this is Florida-ering right here’ while eating a cake from Publix straight out of the container as the alligator swims up.
The man in the video wearing the hat has his own TikTok account (@daddyog1) where he shares videos of airboat adventures. Airboating is a popular recreational activity in small pockets throughout the Sunshine State.
Airboats easily glide over swamp grass and can travel across land and water, making them ideal for hard-to-reach locations through the Florida Everglades.
It’s unclear where this video took place but the original TikTok account has ‘West Side Airboats’ in the bio, and ‘Westside Airboats Everglades Adventures’ is an Everglades-based airboat tour company so it’s safe to assume this was in the Florida Everglades.
Feeding wild alligators is NOT recommended
If you are in a state park in Florida and there are alligators around then there’s a pretty good chance there’s a sign up that says ‘DANGER: do not feed or molest’ with a picture of an alligator. I know this because every tourist takes a picture of the sign every time they pass it.
That same sign has a phone number to report any misconduct. It also lists Florida statute 372.667 which states “(1) No person shall intentionally feed, or entice with feed, any wild American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) or American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus).”
I repeat, feeding wild alligators is NOT recommended no matter what you’ve seen online. Feeding any wild animal is a bad idea.
Personally, I think you are much better off staying at home and watching videos of Floridians doing dumb things. As a born and raised Floridian, I feel comfortable saying it’s in my DNA to do dumb stuff in nature. But like this video below, I think it’s safe to say we’ll always lend a helping hand when there’s a gator in the road:
Ever seen an alligator run this fast before? Methinks no.
Here is a video explaining just a few of the dangers we Floridians face on a daily basis:
Check out this absolute unit before you go: