If holding an alligator is on your bucket list, you might want to visit Gator Chateau.
Gator Chateau is a safe haven for baby and juvenile alligators before they're released into the wild.
Kyler Royer is the manager at Gator Chateau. He said this tourist attraction helps to increase the likelihood of gators multiplying and he's passionate about preserving them.
"A mom alligator in the wild will have anywhere between 20-60 babies at a time and only about five percent of them make it to adulthood," Royer said. "Maybe, two or three sometimes, just one baby alligator makes it."
Royer said baby alligators are more susceptible to danger when they're first born. That's why his team of ambassadors provide shelter and food to help keep them safe.
"It's very common for them to get eaten by fish, turtles, birds, all kinds of crazy stuff," Royer said.
Randy Whetstine is the Vice President of Destination Development and Community Engagement in Jeff Davis Parish.
Whetstine said the Gator Chateau is a unique place where people can overcome their fears and the stigmas surrounding alligators.
"It's more of a controlled environment," Whetstine said. "Anything that we do in the Gator Chateau, we don't recommend people go out and try in the wild...our goal is to educate people on holding them safely and being around them safely so that they can better understand an alligator."
Gator Chateau is open year-round and admission is free for all ages.
The organization is donation-based and offers public feeding times on Fridays.
