Seeing animals in the wild or at reputable facilities can be a life-changing experience. One family of bloggers visited a roadside attraction in Florida where the alligators were living under less-than-ideal conditions.
The Radford Family are from the U.K. and share their lives on social media, and they have 375,000 followers on YouTube. In one vlog, they showed a trip to Florida where they did cultural touchpoints, such as visiting a Costco. They also went to a roadside attraction where they were able to see alligators and even hold them. This is where they ran into some trouble with their fans.
At the attraction, they took turns holding baby alligators, all of which had tape over their mouths.
PETA wrote about some of the ethical issues with this type of experience. The organization explains that these attractions have no regulations and standards of care, and photo ops where countless tourists hold baby alligators can cause tremendous stress.
In the United States, reputable zoos are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which has rigorous standards. In fact, the association's standards and policies document is over 100 pages long. According to AZA, "Fewer than 10% of the approximately 2,800 animal exhibitors licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture are AZA accredited!"
This means that the vast majority of facilities are likely to have subpar care. There are, of course, exceptions, but the type of roadside attraction featured in this YouTube clip are some of the worst culprits.
The video received hundreds of comments, many pointing out the unethical treatment of the animals.
"Poor… alligators with mouths taped up so humans can get photos. Cruel and sad," wrote one person.
Someone else seconded this opinion, saying, "That's so cruel the way their mouths are taped up so they can be passed about and photographed."
Finally, another YouTuber added, "Poor animals, it's a disgusting display with the crocs at the end."
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