brooksie female alligator wrestler alabama

“They told me women are not capable of wrestling alligators,” Cottone says, “so I quit.” But she hit a glass ceiling while working for one Orlando park. Hired at a handful of different attractions, she learned how to interact with birds, primates, reptiles and more. Jessie Cottone, the tribe’s first female alligator wrangler, does the same trick, but she refers to it with a gender-neutral name: “Face Off.”Īs a kid, Cottone loved the outdoors, eating mud and playing with insects, but as she grew older, she says, her mother pushed her to become more “girly.” When she finished high school, she considered going to cosmetology school, but instead decided to work with animals. Instead, these stories are about empowering young girls to think outside the box about their future and realize they possess within themselves the power, imagination, and potential to control their own destiny.įind us on Facebook, Instagram, and at decades, alligator wrestlers working at the Miccosukee tribe’s Indian Village cultural center have performed a trick they call “Close Shave.” Seated on an alligator’s back, they hold the big reptile’s mouth open by clamping down on its top jaw with only their chin, then pass their hands through the gaping maw of the deadly beast. These stories aren't about competing with boys, or how much money they can make doing a certain job. The Girls Can Do Anything book series was written to inspire young girls to explore how women can impact the everyday world around them.

She's about to discover firsthand how intimidating those creatures can be, as she is introduced to somebody who isn't afraid to interact with them, safely of course, and have a little fun at the same time. She is about to find out that deep in the southern swamps, off the beaten path, living among the flora and fauna are hungry creatures that are as old as dinosaurs and just as unpredictable. But when Caitlyn visits Gator World, she learns that Florida is more than just sunshine and butterflies. During their annual vacation, Caitlyn and her family sightsee and relax around the various Florida attractions.

Brooksie female alligator wrestler alabama