Some never tame down, some will half-tame down and some will tame down to where it's relatively safe, ... If you're feeling a little sluggish yourself, you don't grab the meanest one. If you feel spunky, you grab the mean one.

They have a very low metabolism. I don't believe you could sedate them. Besides, you don't really want to sedate them because it's not going to be a good show gator if he's just lying there half-dead. You want the most active gator possible. You try not to overuse him, so he doesn't lame out on you.

As long as it can sustain me, I'll continue doing it, ... I like working with animals. I like teaching people. And I love the Everglades, and gators are a main part of the Everglades.

I've never got beside one and run with it. But usually when they make a burst for the water, it's lightning fast.

I had one spin around and swim right at me and I kind of did a dance over the top of him, ... I don't know exactly what took place because you can't really see once that water starts splashing around. After I got away from him, I recaptured him.

It's more dangerous ... It's their element. They're quicker than you are in the water. You can't really see what's going on very quickly. I swim straight down. I've got to wrap my legs around his tail and grab him by the neck and hope he doesn't spin out of my hands.