After man jumped into alligator enclosure, Busch Gardens Tampa installs new influencer-proof fence

It’s been almost a month since a man attempted to go viral by jumping into Busch Gardens’ American Alligator exhibit, and since his arrest the park has installed a much taller fence that will certainly keep the influencers out.

The exhibit previously featured two smaller fences separating guests from the gators. Now, new warning signs have been installed along with a third influencer-proof fence that’s at least 10-feet high.

Unfortunately, as you can see, the new fence makes it difficult to take decent photos of the gators, which is pretty much the whole point of the exhibit. 

The enclosure is home to alligators that reach as large as 15-feet and 1,000 pounds, but that didn’t stop Louisiana “nano-influencer” Jacob Ryan Pursifull, who hopped into the exhibit for internet points on May 31.

A few days later, Purisfull was arrested by the Tampa Police Department (TPD) and was charged with burglary, theft of services, and trespass. On top of this, all of his social media channels have since been removed.

Apparently, the gator enclosure wasn’t the only barrier that Pursifull hopped that day.

According to TPD, the 20-year-old illegally entered the park by jumping the park’s perimeter fence.

“Pursifull and the other two subjects then made their way to the alligator enclosure,” said TPD in a statement. “Pursifull entered the alligator enclosure, while one of the other subjects recorded the event.”

“Another wild Karen, crikey,” Pursifull said in the video, while guests can be heard asking him to exit the exhibit.

“Our security and animal care teams responded immediately. No injuries were sustained by the guest, our employees or our animals,” said a spokesperson with Busch Gardens. “We will not tolerate this blatant disregard of our safety rules and are working with law enforcement on this matter. The safety and well-being of our guests, ambassadors, and animals remains a top priority.”

This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 5, 2023.