Risking Life (and Limb)!

Who in their right mind brings an alligator to a classroom? I'm not talking about a cute little one foot long alligator, I mean a 6 foot menacing pet gator. One would think that its mouth would be taped for safety, but not in this case. This is a trustworthy gator. Sounds like an oxymoron to me. And guess what, he has a name too, Apollo.

I honestly thought I hit the low of animalackofluenza last week when I paid money to pet a dog. Unfortunately it has only gone down hill from there. I am now at the point where I am willing to risk life (and limb) to get close to animals. This past week I had my hand inches from a mouth with 80 teeth. I am lucky to say that I still have enough of my fingers to type this blog, but others suffering from animalackofluenza have not been so lucky. RIP.


So this is Apollo, a famous American Alligator that I was fan-girling over last week. Police found him abandoned in a plastic tote nailed with wooden boards. Without food, water, heat, or daylight for an unknown time, he his lucky to alive. Now he is one of the most famous alligator's in the world and can even do tricks! I was graced to be in the presence of his greatness recently, and wait until you see what he was wearing. In case you can't read the caption, he is wearing a Penn State shirt. Seriously #goals!

Picture from Christina's Pets

We all laugh at those people who walk their cats on the campus story. We gawk when we see a ferret on a leash. But, what do we do when we see an alligator on a leash? Yes, Apollo that Alligator walks on a leash. He walks better than most dogs, and only pulls slightly. Although he is still working on heeling, he recently learned how to go up steps!

Apollo's unique abilities are a result of his connection with his owner, Christiana. She is one of the few people in the world to have a human-animal bond with a gator. She has transformed him from a potential human killer to a docile pet that goes on field trips to Kindergarten class rooms, fairs, and colleges.

Picture from Christina's Pets

Apollo is not alone. He has many reptilian friends including his protege, Tiny! See if you can spot him on the Lion Shrine.

Although I am now partaking in risky behavior, hopefully this will be the extent of my symptoms of animalackofluenza. The human-animal bond is a powerful thing that can transform both animals and humans, and it was incredible to witness it first hand this week.  If your interested in learning more about Apollo and his owner, visit Christiana's Reptiles. Let me know what you think about Apollo. Thanks for reading!