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title: Watch: Swamp Tour Guide Feeds Gator With His Mouth
description: Louisiana tourists were in for a surprise when their swamp guide dove into the water mid-tour and started playing with wild alligators.
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt670fae2ba8759099/69869786f983e778c804e655/gator_1280.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# Watch: Swamp Tour Guide Feeds Gator With His Mouth

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/j21xwhLE.m3u8" -->
## Video: Swamp Tour Guide Feeds Gator From His Mouth

[Watch (HLS stream): Swamp Tour Guide Feeds Gator From His Mouth](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/j21xwhLE.m3u8) (2:24)

![Swamp Tour Guide Feeds Gator From His Mouth](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/j21xwhLE/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2014-06-13. Swamp Tour Guide Feeds Gator From His Mouth_


by 

[TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/)


## TIME Video


Jun 13, 2014 3:20 PM UTC

Swamp Tour Guide Feeds Gator From His Mouth 

by 

[TIME Video](https://time.com/author/time-video/)


## TIME Video


Jun 13, 2014 3:20 PM UTC

Louisiana tourists were in for a surprise when their swamp guide dove into the water mid-tour and started playing with wild alligators last month.

“Then we hear a splash and we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s in the water,'” tour participant Stacy Hicks told CNN.

Perhaps the bigger surprise? Learning that alligators like to eat marshmallows.

Hicks was able to capture the viral video showing guide Lance LaCrosse playing with the gators and even feeding them marshmallows straight from his mouth.

The tour company is now [under investigation](http://abc13.com/news/viral-video-leads-to-investigation-of-swamp-tour-guide/110789/) for the violation of a Jefferson Parish ordinance, which does not allow the feeding of wild alligators. Swamp boat tour operators were ordered by the sheriff’s office to stop feeding the animals on Thursday.


## Transcript

Alligators are no marshmallows. We think of them as vicious, so tourists on a Louisiana swamp boat tour were surprised, when their guide jumped in with the gators. Then we hear a splash, and we're like, oh my gosh, he's in the water. Stacy Hicks was recording the 20 or so passengers. Oh my God. Gasp, each the gators came looking -. For the chicken the tour guide pulled out of his pockets. When he positioned himself so a gator rested it's head on his. This is hard. Hard to watch? No, hard to videotape and take pictures at the same time [ LAUGH ]. They should've known when back at the dock. He was introducing himself, he goes, yeah, they gave you the crazy guy.

And this is when it really got crazy. You wanna throw me a marshmallow from the bag? Someone lobbed the requested marshmallow. Watch this. Oh. Oh no. The guy proceeded with a mouth to mouth marshmallow transfer. [ LAUGH ]. Prompting applause. Wow. It was awesome. Now Jefferson Parish, where the tour is located, has a ordnance saying, you're not allowed to feed alligators in the wild. So the sheriff's office is conducting an investigation and reminding local swamp tours of the rules. The tour company in question. Brace your senses for, Airboat Adventures. Has clamed up and wouldn't comment to CNN.

But perhaps the most profound question to come out of this. Gators really consider marshmallows to be a delicious delicacy? Fans of the show True Blood may recall this marshmallow tossing scene. Gators love marshmallows. Not so, a Florida marine biologist told National Geographic. He's concluded from the stuffies found in gators stomachs, spark plugs, cans, dog tags, bottles, they are not picky eaters. As for the Tourists, worrying about the captain cavorting with gators. We're thinking, oh my gosh, how are we getting back to shore if something happens to him. At least this puts the marsh into marshmallows.

Jeanne Moos, CNN. Bye. [ LAUGH ]. New York.

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