One woman in Florida has found her passion in life and it all revolves around some pretty cold-blood creatures. Savannah Boan is obsessed with reptiles! She is so obsessed that she has dedicated her entire life to taking care of them and making sure they’re happy. You won’t believe the lengths she goes through to keep her alligators happy!
20. Alligator Obsessed
Image: Barcroft Animals
This is Savannah Boan and she is crazily obsessed with alligators. She is a wildlife conservationist and social media personality, however, she is best known for one thing in particular…
19. Her Job
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Unlike many other people, Boan doesn’t have a regular job. She works with both alligators and crocodiles at the Orlando, Florida based Gatorland sanctuary. You won’t believe how many different types of reptiles they have!
18. Reptiles
Image: Orlando Weekly
The sanctuary is home to “approximately 2500 alligators and crocodiles of all shapes and sizes,” according to Barcroft Animals. Talk about having a lot of reptiles to mingle with! Despite her obsession with reptiles, Boan hasn’t been working at the sanctuary for all that long.
17. Few Months
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Boan has been employed at the sanctuary for around 7 months. Although she hasn’t been working there for a very long time she has made great use of her time there. She has been able to bond greatly with the reptiles in unbelievable ways.
16. Special Connection
Image: Orlando Sentinel
Thanks to this special connection that Boan has with the gators, she has been able to snag a pretty amazing position at Gatorland. She is currently Crocodilian Enrichment Coordinator, but what does that even mean?!
15. Her Role
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CEO and president of Gatorland, Mark McHugh explains the role, “Savannah’s job is to find new things for the alligators and crocodiles to do that will stimulate them, they get exercises that stimulate not just their bodies, but also their minds. It enriches their world.”
14. Happy To Please
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Boan is more than happy to continue to find ways to keep her reptiles happy. She was even quoted stating that reptiles bring her a sense of happiness and fulfillment that she just can’t find elsewhere…
13. Butterflies
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“I love alligators and crocodiles so much because I think they are the most fantastic thing in the world. When I look at them I immediately get excited and butterflies in my stomach like I just saw a cute guy,” she exclaimed. Savannah then went on to explain her many exciting duties!
12. Daily Routine
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“The first thing I do when I get to Gatorland is look at all the alligators and make sure they’re here and I tell them good morning,” Savannah explains. “Crocodiles need love and attention and support just as well as all of those fluffy things.”
11. Heart of Gold
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Although Savannah loves taking care of all of her gators and crocodiles, she doesn’t just focus on the healthy ones. She also takes care of less-abled ones as well. Your heart will break for this next alligator…
10. Bullet
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Savannah also goes out of her way to take care of less-abled gators like Bullet. Bullet was born without a leg and learning how to maneuver without it has been a serious challenge. Savannah, however, never loses patience with him.
9. Helping Out
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When asked about Bullet, Savannah quickly explained his situation by saying, “We’re teaching him how to walk long distances, become a little bit tougher and become a little bit stronger, and then we will put him back with the group of gators that he grew up with.”
8. Champ
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However, Bullet isn’t the only other struggling alligator that Savannah makes time out of her day for. There is also Champ, an alligator that lost the front of his face and his tail from an attack by a larger alligator. His situation is quite heartbreaking!
7. Champ’s Life
Image: YouTube
“So Champ can’t breathe through his nose anymore, but he is going to be great, man,” Savannah said, with confidence. “He is a fighter and even without that whole entire front jaw, he is always ready to bite!” However, out of all of the reptiles, Savannah shares a special bond with one in particular.
6. Best Friends
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Out of all of the reptiles, Boan shares a special bond with 25-year-old crocodile, Dundee. Dundee is 13 feet long and Savannah predicts that he will only get bigger with age! Savannah then went on to their describe their unique friendship…
5. Gossiping
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“I sit with him all the time and I tell him stories, and I gossip with him because I know I can’t tell anybody, and he really doesn’t care because he is just waiting for the next piece of food but I pretend that we have the greatest relationship ever.”
4. Ungrateful
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Despite loving the reptiles so much, Savannah understands that the job she does comes without a lot of thanks. “Reptiles aren’t very grateful But that’s okay because they still deserve the best care and best treatment in the world. I wish they thought I was their friend but I don’t really think they think about it like that.”
3. Misconceptions
Image: Barcroft Animals
Through her work, Boan also hopes to clear up many misconceptions that people have about alligators and crocodiles. One of the biggest being that they want to eat you as soon as they see you. Boan says that this way of thinking is totally wrong!
2. Clearing Up Rumors
Image: Orlando Weekly
“I think the most common misconception about alligators is that if you see one anywhere. It wants to eat and kill you. They just want you to leave them alone, same with crocodiles. They don’t want to come,steal your Cheetos, they don’t want anything to do with that. All they want you to do is leave them alone.”
1. An Inspiration
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Savannah hopes to serve as a living inspiration to many that all of your dreams and passions can be followed through with. “Moving forward in my future all I want to do is help inspire little girls and women all around the world and let them know they can do amazing things with amazing animals. Just like I am,” she said.