SOUTH FLORIDA — Since the 1980s, Everglades Holiday Park in South Florida has been educating the public about alligators and showing visitors how the reptiles are not trying to attack people in everyday life. And nobody does this better than alligator handler Kevin Pavidis.
What You Need To Know
- Everglades Holiday Park is where alligator handlers perform shows for audiences 7 days a week
- The park is located 25 minutes west of Ft. Lauderdale
- Alligators that were caught in backyards were given a home instead of being euthanized
- Holiday Park has been teaching people about alligators since the 1980s
- The park also offers airboat rides and additional animal encounters
For the past four years, Pavidis has been picking up, stepping over and sitting on top of alligators at Holiday Park in South Florida.
“So, they don’t like to get out of your way,” said Pavidis walking over three alligators basking in the water.
Pavidis performs in front of audiences who come to Holiday Park to get a view of alligators and the feel of the Everglades.
The adventure park is located about 25 minutes west of Fort Lauderdale and it has a small performance area where visitors can watch guys like Pavidis handle alligators.
“As you can see, stress is not on their minds. If they were stressed, they would not be laying around with me stepping over their backs,” said Pavidis.
Pavidis says he has been bitten by alligators from time to time and says you always must remember these are wild animals in captivity.
“These are not pets, they are not domesticated animals. These are habituated wild animals that we caught out of people’s backyards,” said Pavidis.
Gators caught in yards are normally euthanized. But here they try and give the reptiles a home and a second chance.
Four years ago, Pavidis himself was living in New York and collecting reptiles. He says he always knew he would be doing a job like this someday.
“This is my real passion in life,” he says.
In his free time, Pavidis is contracted by the state to capture invasive snakes like pythons and remove them from the wild.
There are other attractions for you and your family to experience at Everglades Holiday Park, which includes personal animal encounters (for an extra fee) where people can interact with baby alligators, snakes, and foxes just to name a few.
You can also experience airboat rides that take you into the Everglades to see the sights and sounds of this natural area.
Everglades Holiday Park is open seven days a week.
For more information and pricing, go to the Everglades Holiday Park for complete details.
Gator handler Kevin Pavidis sits on an alligator while talking about handling dozens of these powerful animals everyday at the Everglades Holiday Park. (Spectrum News)