Everglades Holiday Park Live Alligator Wrestling Show Pictures & Video

Everglades Holiday Park Live Gator Show
Pictures from the live alligator wrestling show included with an airboat tour at the Everglades Holiday Park in Ft. Lauderdale.

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Parking Lot & Boat Docks

Airboat Tour Returning

Airboat Docked

After enjoying the Holiday Everglades Park Airboat Tour, we were led down a ramp to the alligator enclosure for a live gator wrestling show.

All of these reptiles were injured in the Florida Everglades and could not be released back into the wild so now they help educate the public.

The show was given by Paul Bedard Jr and featured several "stunts" such as the "The Florida Smile" (getting the gator to open it's mouth), "The Face Off" (keeping the gator's mouth open with just your chin), and "Bulldogging" (keeping the gator's mouth closed with your chest or neck and chin).

I'm guessing that since the performance is given after every air boat tour returns there is no gator feeding at most if any of these shows.

Holiday Everglades Park

Alligator Enclosure

Nictitaing Membrane

Transparent Third Eyelid

Paul Bedard Jr.

Back Osteoderms & Tail

"Mouse Trap" Jaws

"The Florida Smile"

Alligator Teeth & Tongue

Dragging Out of Pond

Wide Open Mouth

To see a short video of the Everglades Holiday Park Live Gator Wrestling Show click on the link below. The movie is encoded in the Windows Media (WMV) format, runs about 4 minutes long and has a file size of 31 megabytes. Attention Parents: The wrestler begins describing some unpleasant things at about 2 minutes into the video. You might want to review the movie yourself first before showing it to children. There is some interesting information between the graphic descriptions.

Everglades Holiday Park Live Alligator Wrestling Show Video Clip

"Bulldogging" Gator Stunt

The alligator wrestling professionals refer to being bitten by a gator as being "banged". One wrestler likened the experience to having your hand slammed in a door with exposed nails. Paul Bedard Jr. explained to the crowd that an alligator's mouth is like a mouse trap in that you can safely put your hand between the jaws, but if even a drop of water were to fall on the tongue it would trigger the animal to bite.

If you're interested in seeing a gator wrestling show, there are quite a few across the state of Florida. A few of the most notable attractions are the Everglades Alligator Farm (Homestead), Gatorland (Kissimmee), the Miccosukee Indian Village (Miami), the Okalee Indian Village (Hollywood), the Native Village (Seminole Reservation), the Gatorama Wildlife Park (Palmdale), Billie Swamp Safari (Clewiston), the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, the Everglades Wonder Gardens (Bonita Springs), and Parrot Jungle Island (Miami).

Chin & Chest Hold

"The Face Off Gator Stunt"

For more reptilian fun check out my pictures from the Everglades Holiday Park Airboat Tour, the Loxahatchee Airboat Ride, and the Flamingo Gardens in Davie, FL.

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