Video Shows Adults Forcing Children to Pose Next to Alligator in Florida Everglades

Video footage shows adults forcing children to stand dangerously close to an alligator in the Florida Everglades. Image by Tourons of National Parks (@touronsofnationalparks)

A video of a family visiting the Florida Everglades was shared online via the infamous Instagram account, TouronsofNationalParks, showing the adults forcing the children to pose for photos while standing uncomfortably close to an alligator.

TouronsofNationalParks showcases the bad behavior of tourists in national parks and other outdoor areas of interest. And this video certainly shows some bad behavior.

The footage was also featured on advture.com. In the footage, you see the adults urging three young girls to stand next to an alligator that is resting beside a trail with its mouth open. The children appear to be rightfully nervous about the close encounter.

The video was taken by someone on the trail that recognized the extremely dangerous situation.

"Wow, just wow!" wrote one commenter on the Instagram page. "I live in Florida and they move lightning fast when they attack."

"Australian here," said another. "No way would I ever willingly go that close to an alligator [or crocodile in our case]. Mouth open is usually a defensive pose."

While alligator attacks are rare, they do happen, and sometimes they’re fatal. In fact, Realtree covered several stories of fatal alligator attacks in 2023.

According to Wild Florida, alligators are capable of quick bursts of speed in short distances and can reach up to 35 miles per hour on land. Which means, these children were definitely within striking distance of this alligator should it have decided to attack.