Entrance to Gatorland, prior to fire

Gatorland is a 110-acre (45 ha) theme park and wildlife preserve located along South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando, Florida. It was founded by Owen Godwin in 1949, and still privately owned by his family today. Billed as the "Alligator Capital of the World," Gatorland features thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding marsh with boardwalk and observation tower, reptile shows, aviary, petting zoo, swamp walk and educational programs.

The operation also has an active road show providing alligator wrestling, pythons, lizards and other animals with an informative animal talk for private parties and benefits. In addition, Gatorland manages the live alligator display at the Gaylord Palms resort in Kissimmee, Florida.

The park is also known for its leucistic alligators.

2006 fire[link]

At approximately 6:00 am local time on November 6, 2006, a three-alarm fire broke out at Gatorland. Apparently the fire started when a heating pad in one of the displays in the gift shop shorted out. Arson was not suspected. The fire was brought under control as of 8:30 AM the same day. The gift shop was completely destroyed, and several walkways also burned. The fire killed a four-foot-long crocodile and two six-foot-long pythons, but spared the other animals. [1] During the day, the birds that are displayed in and around the shop were moved to the aviary at the back of the park and were not injured.

Gatorland reopened the day after Thanksgiving 2006, once inspectors confirmed that there was no structural damage to the various walkways and displays at the park.

The gift shop and main offices were rebuilt as a two-story concrete block building, incorporating the repainted historic concrete alligator's mouth, and opened on May 22, 2008.^[1]

2011 Addition of Zip line ride[link]

In the summer of 2011 Gatorland added a new attraction that allows guests to ride a zip line than travels across a pool of Alligators and past several of the existing attractions. The ride is approximately 1,200 feet (370 m) long, several stories high and for riders above 37 inches (94 cm) tall.

Gallery[link]

• 

  Feeding

• 

  Alligator Wrestling

• 

  Alligator Wrestling

• 

  Dozens of alligators in the breeding marsh

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gatorland

• Official site
• 2006 Fire Story from Channel 6 News
• 2006 Fire Pictures
• Gatorland Info and Pics
• Gatorland videos

Coordinates: 28°21′20″N 81°24′15″W / 28.355556°N 81.40425°W / 28.355556; -81.40425

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Gabriel Iglesias
Born	(1976-07-15) July 15, 1976 (age 35) San Diego, California, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television
Years active	1997–present
Genres	Comedy
Subject(s)	Mexican American culture, race relations, satire
Website	Official website

Gabriel J. Iglecias (born July 15, 1976), known professionally as Gabriel Iglesias, is an American standup comedian and actor, known for his shows I'm Not Fat… I’m Fluffy and Hot & Fluffy. He employs storytelling, effected voices and sound effects in his act, whose other trademarks include references to his weight and his use of Hawaiian shirts. He has been called a "comedy genius" by Hector Saldaña of the San Antonio Express-News.

Early life[link]

Gabriel Iglesias was born Gabriel J. Iglecias in San Diego, California. He is of Mexican-American heritage. His mother placed a letter "c" in his surname in retaliation for his father's absence during his birth, though he does not use this spelling in his every day life, preferring to use the one with the "s". He and his mother lived in Riverside, Corona, Santa Ana, Baldwin Park and Compton before settling in Long Beach, where Iglesias spent most of his life growing up.^[1]

Career[link]

Before going into comedy, Iglesias worked for a cell phone company in Los Angeles. Although his family urged him to remain in that job for its financial security, he insisted on trying his hand at comedy. When maintaining both occupations proved too difficult to handle, he decided to take the risk of doing comedy full time, against the advice of his mother, who cautioned him against such a move. Iglesias nonetheless left the phone company, which eventually resulted in his being evicted from his home and losing his car. Despite this, he persisted with comedy.^[2]

Iglesias often references his weight in his comedy, often saying, "Oh, I’m not fat, I’m fluffy", a term he says was popular among overweight people in the 1940s, which he decided to use in his act. He also references different "Levels of Fatness" in his act, having once described "Five Levels of Fatness", and eventually adding a sixth, called "Oh, Hell no!" in 2009.^[2] He also employs voices, sound effects and storytelling in his act, and his other trademark signatures include his Hawaiian shirts and a "nice-guy veneer".^[3]

In 2000, after Iglesias had turned 20, he appeared in season 6 of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That in 2000, co-starring with Amanda Bynes and Nick Cannon.^[2]

Iglesias appeared on the Galavision TV show Que Locos!. He subsequently was guest-starred on the ABC sitcom My Wife and Kids.^{[episode needed]} His stand-up has been featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!,^{[episode needed]} The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,^{[episode needed]} The Late Late Show,^{[episode needed]} Good Morning America,^{[episode needed]} Showtime at the Apollo^{[episode needed]} and BET'S Comic View.^{[episode needed]} On the big screen, he has appeared in the independent films El Matador and The Surfer King, in which he played the role of Aokee, a water park concession manager.

In 2007 Iglesias voiced an entire Mexican family in "Padre de Familia", a sixth season episode of the Fox TV animated comedy Family Guy. That same year, he began voicing a recurring set of identical twin characters on The Emperor's New School, a Disney animated series that he describes as his favorite voice work.^[2]

Iglesias was a contestant on the fourth season of reality TV series Last Comic Standing in 2006, surviving elimination to become one of the final eight comics. He was disqualified at that point for having used a smuggled BlackBerry to communicate with family and friends, which violated the rules of the show.^[2][4]

In November 2009 Comedy Central released the DVD of the show Gabriel Iglesias: I'm Not Fat... I'm Fluffy.^[5]

In 2011 Comedy Central debuted Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand Up Revolution, a standup showcase series with Iglesias produces and hosts. Hector Saldaña of the San Antonio Express-News praised Iglesias and the other comedian he assembled for the show, calling it "one of the all-time funniest comedy package tours" and Iglesias a "comedy genius".^[3]

Awards and honors[link]

On February 10, 2012, Iglesias was presented with several awards by the city of El Paso, Texas, including the key to the city, a resolution from the El Paso County Commissioners, Congressional Recognition from Congressman Silvestre Reyes, and the Beacon of H.O.P.E Award from the nonprofit organization Operation H.O.P.E, during a luncheon fundraiser that raised an estimated $5,000.^[6]

Personal life[link]

Iglesias lives in Whittier, California.^[7] He lives with his girlfriend and his stepson.^[2]

Credits[link]

• 2011: Conan
• 2009: Just for Laughs
• 2009: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
• 2008: Kickin' It
• 2007: Gabriel Iglesias
• 2007: Live at Gotham
• 2006: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
• 2003: Comedy Central Presents: Gabriel Iglesias
• 2002: Tonight Show with Jay Leno
• 2002: My Wife and Kids, Nabu
• 2000: Premium Blend Season 3, Episode 8
• 2000: All That
• 2011: Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution

Discography[link]

• We Luv Fluffy (2009)

Filmography[link]

• El Matador (2003)
• The Surfer King (2006)
• Hot and Fluffy (2007)
• Comedy Central's Stand Up Picks - Part 3 (2008)
• I'm Not Fat... I'm Fluffy (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Gabriel Iglesias at the Internet Movie Database