Florida man offers alligators to swim at parties

My Fox Spokane Biz
Florida man offers alligators to swim at parties

By TAMARA LUSHAssociated Press

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Forget about ponies, bounce houses and clowns.

For $175, a Florida businessman is spicing up kids' parties by bringing tiny alligators and letting them swim in clients' pools. Bob Barrett says the gator pool parties are totally safe - the reptiles' mouths are clamped shut with veterinary-grade tape.

He says he gives the kids a safety lesson and a science talk about gators. Barrett runs a beachside alligator attraction where people can get their photos taken with the young reptiles; he started renting the gators to parties last summer when business was slow.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says Barrett has a license to exhibit the gators and adds that people should always use caution when they come into contact with wild animals.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most Popular Stories

NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women

NASA picks 8 new astronauts, 4 of them women
By MARCIA DUNNAP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA has eight new astronauts - its first new batch in four years. Among the lucky candidates: the first female fighter pilot to become an astronaut in nearly two decades. A female helicopter pilot also is in the group. In fact, four of

UPDATE: Wrong-Way Crash On Hwy. 195 At Cheney Spokane Rd.

UPDATE: Wrong-Way Crash On Hwy. 195 At Cheney Spokane Rd.
UPDATE: The female driver has been identified as Jennifer A. Schmidt of Spokane Valley. The male driver has been identified as Sean D. Moss. Both Schmidt and Moss were life-flighted by Medstar to Sacred Heart. The State Patrol says both vehicles were totaled and both drivers were wearing seatbelts

FIRST ON KHQ.COM: Spokane Valley Homeowner Catches Would Be Burglar; Holds Suspect At Gunpoint Until Authorities Arrive

FIRST ON KHQ.COM: Spokane Valley Homeowner Catches Would Be Burglar; Holds Suspect At Gunpoint Until Authorities Arrive
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE SPOKANE VALLEY POLICE DEPT: On Tuesday, June 18, 2013, at 9:15 a.m., Spokane Valley Sheriff's Deputies responded to a person with a weapon call near the area of 13600 E. 20th Ave. Deputies arrived on scene and found the victim homeowner detaining the suspect, later