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Florida Wildlife Commission Investigates Videos of Women Petting Alligators in State Park
Kileigh Rose and a friend filmed themselves touching alligators in Silver Springs State Park. The videos drew millions of views and prompted an investigation days after three alligator attacks in the state.
Jul 14, 9:43 AM·1m read1 source
New York PostAudio version
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The Florida Wildlife Commission is investigating videos of two women touching alligators while kayaking in Silver Springs State Park. ” One video showed a woman reaching from a clear canoe to rub an alligator’s back and received 2.1 million views before deletion. A second video, viewed 21 million times, captured an alligator thrashing near the canoe.
The commission stated that petting alligators constitutes harassment and carries possible penalties of a $500 fine or up to 60 days in jail. New York Post reported that the footage appeared shortly after at least three alligator attacks occurred in Florida in late June and early July 2026.
Brittany Clark, 31, was killed on June 28 while swimming in the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Econ State Forest, approximately 90 miles from the park.
An 11-year-old boy from Pennsylvania, Brodie Terry, lost his hand in an attack on June 27 while fishing with family. On July 3, James Grayson McMicken, 71, was attacked while fishing on a canal near his North Fort Myers home. He escaped after digging his thumb into the alligator’s eye and striking it with his fishing rod.
New York Post reported that the videos prompted online comments criticizing the women’s actions as harassment of the animals.
