• Mar 26

    815 – Gatorland with Savannah

    dan

    Annoy Your Friends

      Screenshot 2025-03-26 at 9.50.26 AM

      • Jeff’s Bagel Run sponsorship, including bagel flavors and custom cream cheese spreads (hot sauce cream cheese)
      • Ordering via Jeff’s Bagel Run app; also offers cookies and coffee
      • Friday Free Show at Gatorland near Gator Lake with guest Savannah
      • Savannah’s social media popularity and frequent fan questions about Tom and Dan
      • Moe Dewitt’s VIP program at Gatorland, Dan’s late arrival, and Christmas card photos
      • Savannah’s career shift after leaving radio; moved to Cocoa Beach for son’s skateboarding, worked at Rusty’s, surfed
      • Unexpected passion for reptiles; childhood love for catching snakes and lizards
      • Opportunity to join a snake and lizard TV show in California; spontaneous cross-country move
      • Traveling to skate parks, hospitality from strangers, sleeping in the Jeep, pulled over by Texas State Troopers
      • Flooded skate park in Mississippi; using a shotgun shell as a thimble to fix Jeep top
      • Working at a reptile zoo in California; appeared on Conan O’Brien’s show, where a snake defecated on Conan’s desk
      • Lack of female-led alligator/crocodile shows in media; pitching one without success
      • Long effort to create a Gatorland-based show; struggles with industry gatekeeping
      • Seven-year attempt to work at Gatorland; initial rejection, eventual surprise hiring
      • Early struggles at Gatorland; coworkers refused to help, leading to solo content creation
      • Transition from radio to YouTube; generational gap in media consumption
      • Challenges in social media consistency, scheduling, and content planning
      • Learning alligator safety; Savannah’s son skeptical of her expertise
      • Gatorland’s 75-year history; Lamar the 13-14 foot alligator as a favorite
      • Naming alligators after celebrities; Ryan Reynolds, Lightning, Metallica
      • Alligator vs. crocodile behavior; social media clips of reckless interactions
      • Gatorland rescues nuisance alligators from farms/hunting camps
      • Savannah’s international Gatorland work (Belize, Australia, Jamaica, Mexico, Cuba)
      • Couch-surfing upon return from California to land Gatorland job
      • Spontaneous Cuba trip to find crocodile scientists with no Spanish skills, relying on a bird watcher’s help
      • Running out of money, drinking unfiltered rainwater, bonding with locals
      • Returning with Gatorland’s team to support Cuban crocodile program, forming Gatorland Global nonprofit
      • Gatorland spans 125 acres, housing 2,000+ alligators and crocodiles; ranked zip-line attraction
      • Tom feeding an alligator for the first time; hesitation in throwing food
      • Maisie’s preference for pork; gators also preferring pork over chicken
      • Introduction of aggressive gators disrupting feeding order; Gatorland’s discipline method
      • Alligator growth slowing with age but continuing for life
      • Alligators can survive two years without eating; Gatorland provides a “bougie” life
      • Feeding wild gators makes them nuisances, leading to relocation
      • Gators recognize trainers and social hierarchy; some respond to commands, others don’t
      • Leucistic alligators at Gatorland, their rarity, and special care needs
      • Jawlene, the rescued alligator missing her top jaw; viral rescue story
      • Learning to eat despite injury; media attention making her more famous than theme park mascots
      • Jawlene estimated to be five years old but small due to malnutrition
      • Attempts to fit her with a prosthetic jaw; wouldn’t be functional long-term
      • Public perception of dangerous animals vs. cute ones in conservation efforts
      • Shark vs. alligator fear; media’s role in misrepresenting threats
      • Savannah camping at Gatorland, almost dragged into water by a Nile crocodile
      • Gatorland’s train ride, swamp buggy, and exotic bird rescue
      • Meeting Felix the donkey and Big Mike the cow
      • Savannah’s desire to live at Gatorland; favorite animal interactions
      • Savannah’s Fairvilla Megastore connection; Bill Murphy’s mariachi party
      • Goats in the petting zoo; joke about them eating beer cans
      • Gatorland accommodating even the wildest animals rather than removing them
      • Dan and Savannah’s Taco Bell “Mexican Fiesta” tradition
      • Tom jumping on a moving train like a hobo; conductor recognizing them but letting it slide
      • Group reflecting on Gatorland’s old-school Florida charm and fun atmosphere

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      Posted By dan on March 26 2025 | Comments (0 )

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