Gatorland, Wildlife theme park in Orlando, United States
Gatorland is a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve in Southchase, south of Orlando, entered through a concrete alligator head with a teal-green upper jaw, white teeth and a red eye. It holds thousands of alligators and crocodiles, including leucistic ones, plus a breeding marsh with boardwalk and observation tower, an aviary, a petting zoo and a 2 ft narrow-gauge railroad.
Owen Godwin opened the park in 1949 as the Florida Wildlife Institute on former cattle land; it was renamed Gatorland in 1954. The concrete alligator-mouth entrance was inaugurated in 1964. A 2006 fire destroyed the gift shop and killed a crocodile and two pythons; the rebuilt two-story building opened in 2008.
The park serves local schools as a learning site for topics like reptile science and native ecosystems. Visitors watch handlers work with the animals during demonstrations and share information about their behavior.
The facility opens daily from 10 AM to 5 PM and sits roughly 20 minutes south of downtown Orlando. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and bring plenty of drinking water, as pathways run mostly in open air.
The park takes in nuisance alligators from trappers who would otherwise kill them for meat and skin. Among its residents is Jawlene, an alligator missing her upper jaw. Gatorland also cares for the live alligator display at the Gaylord Palms resort in Kissimmee.
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