ALLIGATOR EATS BOY'S PET

OKALOOSA ISLAND — A local family remains upset four days after giving their pet turtle to the Gulfarium and watching it get eaten by an alligator. Brenda Guthrie and her 8-year-old son Colton witnessed Tomalina’s death as the red-eared slider disappeared into the alligator’s jaws. When the two looked away from the sight, she said they could hear the crunching of the turtle’s shell. “He was jumping up and down screaming,” Guthrie said of her son’s reaction. “He was shouting, ‘Oh no alligator, let it go.’ ” Guthrie said that they decided to donate Tomalina after the turtle outgrew its aquarium. They chose the Gulfarium so that Colton could come back and visit the turtle. They brought it there Thursday afternoon and watched as workers put the slider into the alligator exhibit, where two other red-eared sliders already live. Gulfarium officials said that the alligator, Gracie, had just been hand-fed and that the gators normally don’t express interest in the turtles. It is horrible for a little kid to have to see that,” said General Manager Don Abrams. “That’s not unusual to put sliders in the same exhibit. (The alligators) have never eaten a turtle in the exhibit before. It’s just Murphy’s law that nature would take over right then,” he added.

Real Gulfarium Reviews: by Beeny & Judes Mom
I took my kids here for an afternoon of "fun". The shows only lasted 15 minutes, and they were so crowded I had to pick up both my children, ages 2 and 4, so that they could see. There were very few things to do other than the shows, the touch pool was small and had hardly anything in it. Sure you could get "up close and personal" with a dolphin, but it cost $50 for 10 minutes. They also had the opportunity to feed a sting ray for $5, but my son was not old enough! I would not recommend taking young children, it may be worth it for older children. But personally I'd rather go to SeaWorld.

(Perhaps they should feed more kid's pets, let's try a puppy or a kitty next time...)