1 00:00:03,921 --> 00:00:07,798 Did you know that there was a time when a family vacation 2 00:00:07,799 --> 00:00:10,927 meant your toddler riding an alligator? 3 00:00:10,928 --> 00:00:15,890 Families can just mingle, pose freely with no barriers 4 00:00:15,891 --> 00:00:18,976 between them and one of nature's most efficient, 5 00:00:18,977 --> 00:00:21,270 ruthless, and deadly predators. 6 00:00:21,271 --> 00:00:24,607 It's like Jurassic Park with worse fences. 7 00:00:24,608 --> 00:00:28,736 Or how about riding the world's fastest bird? 8 00:00:28,737 --> 00:00:32,072 40 miles an hour on the back of a dinosaur with feathers 9 00:00:32,073 --> 00:00:33,909 is the thrill of a lifetime. 10 00:00:35,035 --> 00:00:37,620 Or when you could order a live monkey 11 00:00:37,621 --> 00:00:40,081 from the back of a comic book. 12 00:00:40,082 --> 00:00:42,542 You'd open the box and that monkey would jump out 13 00:00:42,543 --> 00:00:44,752 and bite the first person it sees. 14 00:00:44,753 --> 00:00:45,920 There's a part of me that knows 15 00:00:45,921 --> 00:00:47,338 that this was irresponsible, 16 00:00:47,339 --> 00:00:48,839 but then there's a part of me that would be like, 17 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:50,883 "Oh yeah, baby, sign me up." 18 00:00:50,884 --> 00:00:53,552 These are the things we used to do 19 00:00:53,553 --> 00:00:57,890 for fun, for money, or maybe out of boredom 20 00:00:57,891 --> 00:01:00,393 that we'll never see again. 21 00:01:00,394 --> 00:01:03,271 Were they dangerous? Certainly. 22 00:01:03,272 --> 00:01:05,189 Deadly? Occasionally. 23 00:01:05,190 --> 00:01:08,067 But, boy, wasn't it exciting? 24 00:01:18,245 --> 00:01:20,830 What's more adorable than a cuddly animal? 25 00:01:20,831 --> 00:01:23,624 You see one and you wanna reach out and touch it. 26 00:01:23,625 --> 00:01:25,334 And for a lot of American history, 27 00:01:25,335 --> 00:01:27,670 that's exactly what we did. 28 00:01:27,671 --> 00:01:32,633 The problem? Well, sometimes the animals touched back. 29 00:01:33,594 --> 00:01:35,011 It's the 1970s 30 00:01:35,012 --> 00:01:37,888 and vacations are really considered a luxury. 31 00:01:37,889 --> 00:01:39,432 And only really a privileged few 32 00:01:39,433 --> 00:01:40,975 can afford trips to Disney World 33 00:01:40,976 --> 00:01:42,602 or some far away theme park. 34 00:01:42,603 --> 00:01:44,687 So it becomes the age of the road trip. 35 00:01:44,688 --> 00:01:46,856 Families pile into station wagons 36 00:01:46,857 --> 00:01:48,607 and look for fun holiday ideas 37 00:01:48,608 --> 00:01:50,860 that are within driving distance. 38 00:01:50,861 --> 00:01:53,988 In 1972, plans are announced 39 00:01:53,989 --> 00:01:57,908 for a new amusement park in West Milford, New Jersey 40 00:01:57,909 --> 00:02:02,288 that promises to be wild, thrilling, and car-friendly. 41 00:02:02,289 --> 00:02:05,958 It's a new kind of zoo and radically different. 42 00:02:05,959 --> 00:02:08,335 Here the animals roam free. 43 00:02:08,336 --> 00:02:10,129 But the people aren't in mobile cages, 44 00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:11,964 they're in little family cars. 45 00:02:11,965 --> 00:02:13,549 What's more American than like, 46 00:02:13,550 --> 00:02:15,968 "I don't even wanna experience nature 47 00:02:15,969 --> 00:02:18,679 unless it's through the windshield of my car." 48 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:20,264 This bold new attraction 49 00:02:20,265 --> 00:02:22,642 is dubbed "Jungle Habitat", 50 00:02:22,643 --> 00:02:27,188 and it opens to great fanfare in July of 1972. 51 00:02:27,189 --> 00:02:29,231 But this is not a petting zoo. 52 00:02:29,232 --> 00:02:32,069 These are some of the most dangerous animals in the world. 53 00:02:33,278 --> 00:02:37,199 Jungle Habitat brings in 70 lions. 54 00:02:38,158 --> 00:02:41,160 The San Diego Zoo only has nine. 55 00:02:41,161 --> 00:02:45,581 In all over 1,500 animals up close, unencumbered, 56 00:02:45,582 --> 00:02:47,959 and, very importantly, unfenced. 57 00:02:49,461 --> 00:02:51,087 Jungle Habitat becomes a success almost 58 00:02:51,088 --> 00:02:52,630 off the bat. 59 00:02:52,631 --> 00:02:56,008 It has 250,000 visitors in just its first three months. 60 00:02:56,009 --> 00:02:59,720 Cars are lining up for up to seven miles just to get in. 61 00:03:00,806 --> 00:03:02,306 But a real African safari, 62 00:03:02,307 --> 00:03:03,891 you are with trained professionals in vehicles 63 00:03:03,892 --> 00:03:06,018 especially designed for the purpose. 64 00:03:06,019 --> 00:03:07,436 In this case, 65 00:03:07,437 --> 00:03:09,397 you're just driving through in the family car. 66 00:03:09,398 --> 00:03:11,524 Animals are walking around 67 00:03:11,525 --> 00:03:13,317 looking at you like you're lunch. 68 00:03:13,318 --> 00:03:15,194 In this drive-through attraction, 69 00:03:15,195 --> 00:03:17,988 a vehicle is not the safe space 70 00:03:17,989 --> 00:03:20,825 visitors think it will be. 71 00:03:22,369 --> 00:03:24,078 From day one, cars are basically under siege. 72 00:03:24,079 --> 00:03:26,330 Baboons start to tear at cars. 73 00:03:26,331 --> 00:03:28,207 Lions and tigers, they're pawing 74 00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:30,376 and scratching at the sides of your car. 75 00:03:30,377 --> 00:03:32,962 But most people, one of the animals on their car, 76 00:03:32,963 --> 00:03:34,964 that's the thrill. 77 00:03:34,965 --> 00:03:37,591 They actually put this right in their logo. 78 00:03:39,094 --> 00:03:41,429 You have to keep the windows rolled up. 79 00:03:41,430 --> 00:03:43,973 But this is in the early '70s, 80 00:03:43,974 --> 00:03:47,726 before air conditioning came standard in most cars, 81 00:03:47,727 --> 00:03:51,564 which means that on like an 85-degree day in the summer, 82 00:03:51,565 --> 00:03:55,192 it's about 110 degrees in the car. 83 00:03:55,193 --> 00:03:57,695 These cars are dangerously hot. 84 00:03:57,696 --> 00:04:00,573 So people begin rolling down their windows. 85 00:04:00,574 --> 00:04:05,202 Just months after opening, disaster strikes. 86 00:04:05,203 --> 00:04:07,955 A man has rolled the window down 87 00:04:07,956 --> 00:04:11,959 to call and taunt and tease a lion. 88 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,295 Let me just let that sink in. 89 00:04:14,296 --> 00:04:16,630 A human being is teasing a lion. 90 00:04:18,048 --> 00:04:20,342 And the lion reaches in and mauls him from the front. 91 00:04:20,343 --> 00:04:22,595 He turns around and gets him from the back 92 00:04:22,596 --> 00:04:24,930 and somehow they managed to escape. 93 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:27,933 Believe it or not, the guy doesn't sue the park. 94 00:04:27,934 --> 00:04:29,143 He blames himself 95 00:04:29,144 --> 00:04:31,772 because, you know, he taunted a lion. 96 00:04:32,939 --> 00:04:35,065 Most park visitors are thrilled 97 00:04:35,066 --> 00:04:37,526 by the wild interactive experience. 98 00:04:37,527 --> 00:04:40,446 But Jungle Habitat's suburban neighbors 99 00:04:40,447 --> 00:04:44,074 are not so happy with park security. 100 00:04:44,075 --> 00:04:46,202 Two wolves sneak out from under a fence, 101 00:04:46,203 --> 00:04:50,122 baboons escape and send, like, local schools into lockdown. 102 00:04:50,123 --> 00:04:53,459 You got kangaroos and emus walking down the street. 103 00:04:53,460 --> 00:04:54,835 Nobody thinks about the neighborhoods 104 00:04:54,836 --> 00:04:56,545 around these animal parts. 105 00:04:56,546 --> 00:04:58,964 If those fences aren't done the right way, 106 00:04:58,965 --> 00:05:01,008 you got yourself a crocodile in your pool 107 00:05:01,009 --> 00:05:02,594 and a lion in your driveway. 108 00:05:04,846 --> 00:05:07,348 In addition to all of these obvious safety issues, 109 00:05:07,349 --> 00:05:09,558 it's actually turns out really expensive 110 00:05:09,559 --> 00:05:11,060 to run a park like this. 111 00:05:11,061 --> 00:05:12,770 Just to feed the lions alone 112 00:05:12,771 --> 00:05:16,482 requires 1,400 pounds of horse meat per day. 113 00:05:16,483 --> 00:05:18,442 Even though they've got lots of customers coming through, 114 00:05:18,443 --> 00:05:20,444 they're actually hemorrhaging money. 115 00:05:20,445 --> 00:05:24,198 After just four years of this death trap of a 116 00:05:24,199 --> 00:05:26,784 zoo, Jungle Habitat finally closes. 117 00:05:28,703 --> 00:05:31,664 So a lion safari didn't work out. 118 00:05:31,665 --> 00:05:33,874 But there was a time not long ago 119 00:05:33,875 --> 00:05:36,961 when you didn't have to drive anywhere to see wild animals 120 00:05:36,962 --> 00:05:39,589 because they lived right in your home. 121 00:05:40,882 --> 00:05:42,466 Throughout the 1900s, 122 00:05:42,467 --> 00:05:44,134 having strange pets is definitely 123 00:05:44,135 --> 00:05:45,928 an American fascination. 124 00:05:45,929 --> 00:05:49,390 President Calvin Coolidge has a pet raccoon. 125 00:05:49,391 --> 00:05:52,142 Elvis Presley has a chimpanzee. 126 00:05:52,143 --> 00:05:55,104 Tippi Hedren, the actress, Melanie Griffith's mother, 127 00:05:55,105 --> 00:05:56,647 has a pet lion. 128 00:05:56,648 --> 00:05:57,731 I mean, this is something that's 129 00:05:57,732 --> 00:06:00,110 definitely a status symbol. 130 00:06:00,652 --> 00:06:03,696 But in the 1950s, an unconventional animal 131 00:06:03,697 --> 00:06:06,241 becomes America's latest obsession. 132 00:06:07,367 --> 00:06:09,410 One bizarre animal that became a pet 133 00:06:09,411 --> 00:06:11,913 for people to own is the skunk. 134 00:06:13,081 --> 00:06:16,166 Skunks are the smelliest animals out there. 135 00:06:16,167 --> 00:06:17,960 If you get one of these in your neighborhood, 136 00:06:17,961 --> 00:06:20,921 you can smell it from a mile or two away. 137 00:06:20,922 --> 00:06:25,467 But somehow they become pets. 138 00:06:25,468 --> 00:06:28,012 Skunks have been a comic trope for decades. 139 00:06:28,013 --> 00:06:31,348 They're in Abbott and Costello, they're in Disney movies, 140 00:06:31,349 --> 00:06:32,766 they're in The Three Stooges, 141 00:06:32,767 --> 00:06:36,270 and of course, one of my favorites, Pepe Le Pew. 142 00:06:36,271 --> 00:06:38,272 Because cartoon skunks are so cute, 143 00:06:38,273 --> 00:06:40,107 people are startin' to soften to them. 144 00:06:40,108 --> 00:06:42,943 So some enterprising breeders start thinkin', 145 00:06:42,944 --> 00:06:46,071 "Hey, skunks are having a moment. 146 00:06:46,072 --> 00:06:49,033 Could people buy them as pets?" 147 00:06:49,034 --> 00:06:51,452 Turns out they will. 148 00:06:51,453 --> 00:06:53,621 So how do you market a skunk as a pet? 149 00:06:53,622 --> 00:06:55,664 Well, you tell people they're easily trainable, 150 00:06:55,665 --> 00:06:58,792 they're smart, cuddly, kind. 151 00:06:58,793 --> 00:07:01,003 People buy them at fairs and shops 152 00:07:01,004 --> 00:07:03,797 and even through the mail, Sears and Spiegel, 153 00:07:03,798 --> 00:07:06,425 two big mail order catalogs, sell them. 154 00:07:06,426 --> 00:07:08,385 And the idea is that this intelligent, 155 00:07:08,386 --> 00:07:11,639 cute friend of yours won't spray you 156 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:13,224 and will be your companion. 157 00:07:14,643 --> 00:07:15,685 And you can see the appeal. 158 00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:17,561 They're cute. They're not super big. 159 00:07:17,562 --> 00:07:21,315 Kids would love them because kids love weird stuff. 160 00:07:21,316 --> 00:07:23,609 The other thing that skunks give you are something 161 00:07:23,610 --> 00:07:25,611 that maybe no one else in your neighborhood has. 162 00:07:25,612 --> 00:07:26,904 And so suddenly you've got something 163 00:07:26,905 --> 00:07:28,238 people are gonna wanna see. 164 00:07:28,239 --> 00:07:30,366 And there was such a big part of society 165 00:07:30,367 --> 00:07:31,700 about sort of showing off. 166 00:07:31,701 --> 00:07:33,744 If you can get the newest or the coolest, 167 00:07:33,745 --> 00:07:35,954 maybe you can get the weirdest and have the strangest pet. 168 00:07:35,955 --> 00:07:39,291 "I don't have a border collie. I have a skunk." 169 00:07:39,292 --> 00:07:41,669 That's status. 170 00:07:41,670 --> 00:07:43,295 I would absolutely own a pet skunk. 171 00:07:43,296 --> 00:07:44,254 How fun would that be? 172 00:07:44,255 --> 00:07:45,756 I would love to have a pet skunk. 173 00:07:45,757 --> 00:07:47,424 First of all, they eat ticks. 174 00:07:47,425 --> 00:07:48,967 So if you ever get a tick, you're set 175 00:07:48,968 --> 00:07:51,720 'cause your pet skunk is gonna eat your ticks off of you. 176 00:07:51,721 --> 00:07:53,097 So that's handy. 177 00:07:53,098 --> 00:07:55,099 They're smart, they're social, they're cute. 178 00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:57,601 Have you ever seen a skunk with its babies? 179 00:07:57,602 --> 00:07:59,520 They're so cute. 180 00:07:59,521 --> 00:08:02,314 My favorite thing about skunks, hands down, literally, 181 00:08:02,315 --> 00:08:03,899 is that they can do a handstand 182 00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:06,652 and point their butt at you over their back 183 00:08:06,653 --> 00:08:08,278 and spray you in the face. 184 00:08:08,279 --> 00:08:10,323 Like, that's awesome. 185 00:08:11,241 --> 00:08:12,408 The idea for a lot of people 186 00:08:12,409 --> 00:08:14,451 is you could get a skunk and train it. 187 00:08:14,452 --> 00:08:16,036 You could put it on a leash 188 00:08:16,037 --> 00:08:18,247 and, like, take it for a walk around the neighborhood. 189 00:08:18,248 --> 00:08:19,498 Everyone's gonna love it. 190 00:08:19,499 --> 00:08:21,291 They're gonna wanna come up and pet it. 191 00:08:21,292 --> 00:08:24,879 Oh, baby, baby. What am I going to do with you? 192 00:08:26,005 --> 00:08:28,048 Soon skunks are so coveted. 193 00:08:28,049 --> 00:08:30,801 Pet shop owners can't keep them in stock. 194 00:08:30,802 --> 00:08:33,387 But what about the smell? 195 00:08:33,388 --> 00:08:35,431 Might sound insane, but these are skunks 196 00:08:35,432 --> 00:08:39,101 that have had their stink glands surgically removed. 197 00:08:40,186 --> 00:08:41,394 But while these skunks 198 00:08:41,395 --> 00:08:43,480 might lack their stink glands, 199 00:08:43,481 --> 00:08:45,733 they still have their teeth. 200 00:08:45,734 --> 00:08:49,236 You would think that a descented skunk is safe 201 00:08:49,237 --> 00:08:51,905 because it's basically had its ammunition taken away. 202 00:08:51,906 --> 00:08:54,366 But the thing is that it can still bite you 203 00:08:54,367 --> 00:08:55,993 and it can still scratch you. 204 00:08:55,994 --> 00:08:58,120 Skunks can become aggressive when threatened. 205 00:08:58,121 --> 00:08:59,747 And they can pack a punch. 206 00:08:59,748 --> 00:09:02,958 I mean, their bite is strong enough to break your finger. 207 00:09:02,959 --> 00:09:04,460 They have nearly one-inch fangs 208 00:09:04,461 --> 00:09:06,545 that can cause deep puncture wounds. 209 00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:09,048 And they also have these long curved claws 210 00:09:09,049 --> 00:09:11,216 for ripping through soil and roots 211 00:09:11,217 --> 00:09:14,054 that can also slice you open pretty easily too. 212 00:09:15,263 --> 00:09:16,805 But scratches and bites 213 00:09:16,806 --> 00:09:19,224 might be the least of your concerns. 214 00:09:19,225 --> 00:09:21,810 Skunks are actually the most common carrier of rabies. 215 00:09:21,811 --> 00:09:24,563 And they're actually also the most common animal 216 00:09:24,564 --> 00:09:26,523 to transmit rabies to humans, 217 00:09:26,524 --> 00:09:30,152 which includes you, their owner. 218 00:09:30,153 --> 00:09:32,279 These bites happen fairly often. 219 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,908 By the time the CDC starts tracking them in the 1970s, 220 00:09:35,909 --> 00:09:39,036 they find nearly 200 incidents. 221 00:09:39,037 --> 00:09:41,246 If there's a chance, you have to treat it seriously. 222 00:09:41,247 --> 00:09:43,582 And so for a person at that time, 223 00:09:43,583 --> 00:09:46,960 that means 20 shots of the vaccine in the stomach. 224 00:09:46,961 --> 00:09:48,963 Really painful, no fun at all. 225 00:09:50,340 --> 00:09:53,843 As rabies scares rise, the government steps in. 226 00:09:55,637 --> 00:09:57,471 Due to this concern over rabies, 227 00:09:57,472 --> 00:09:59,056 there are ordinances all over 228 00:09:59,057 --> 00:10:00,808 that don't permit them as pets. 229 00:10:00,809 --> 00:10:02,768 And right now, the vast majority of states 230 00:10:02,769 --> 00:10:04,186 still have those on the books. 231 00:10:04,187 --> 00:10:06,605 Today, we got all these snowflakey pets, 232 00:10:06,606 --> 00:10:09,399 like cats and dogs that are hypoallergenic 233 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,235 or bred not to bark. 234 00:10:11,236 --> 00:10:12,486 Don't you kinda miss the days 235 00:10:12,487 --> 00:10:14,404 when you could just pick up a catalog 236 00:10:14,405 --> 00:10:17,407 and order your children a rabid wild animal 237 00:10:17,408 --> 00:10:18,910 for just 25 bucks? 238 00:10:20,161 --> 00:10:22,205 Maybe next time just go with a kitten. 239 00:10:25,125 --> 00:10:27,501 Lots of people enjoy riding horses and mules, 240 00:10:27,502 --> 00:10:31,296 and, depending on where you live, camels and elephants too. 241 00:10:31,297 --> 00:10:33,882 But did you know that there was once a time 242 00:10:33,883 --> 00:10:37,219 when you could ride birds? 243 00:10:37,220 --> 00:10:39,763 In the 1880s, a Brit named Edwin Cawston 244 00:10:39,764 --> 00:10:41,723 imports a whole bunch of ostriches 245 00:10:41,724 --> 00:10:44,143 to his farm in South Pasadena, California. 246 00:10:44,144 --> 00:10:45,477 He's planning to get rich 247 00:10:45,478 --> 00:10:47,479 selling the feathers of these birds 248 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,274 because they're really big in ladies fashion at the time. 249 00:10:50,275 --> 00:10:51,859 Most people in South Pasadena 250 00:10:51,860 --> 00:10:54,403 have never seen an ostrich up close before. 251 00:10:54,404 --> 00:10:57,739 They're like these dinosaurs running around. 252 00:10:57,740 --> 00:11:01,493 Pretty soon people are lining up to gawk at the ostriches, 253 00:11:01,494 --> 00:11:04,496 and he realizes he has this entirely different business. 254 00:11:04,497 --> 00:11:07,583 People will pay to see the ostriches on his farm. 255 00:11:07,584 --> 00:11:09,751 Cawston's Ostrich Farm 256 00:11:09,752 --> 00:11:14,716 opens in the city of South Pasadena in 1896. 257 00:11:15,717 --> 00:11:17,217 Newspapers are soon raving about it 258 00:11:17,218 --> 00:11:20,762 as one of the nation's most fascinating attractions. 259 00:11:20,763 --> 00:11:21,930 I would go to an ostrich farm. 260 00:11:21,931 --> 00:11:23,599 I mean, the whole point of it 261 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,393 is like you're seeing something that you would never see. 262 00:11:26,394 --> 00:11:30,397 In no world am I running into an ostrich on Staten Island. 263 00:11:30,398 --> 00:11:33,525 People are fascinated by how fast they can 264 00:11:33,526 --> 00:11:36,153 move, with a top speed of over 40 miles an hour. 265 00:11:36,154 --> 00:11:37,905 It's not long before Cawston realizes 266 00:11:37,906 --> 00:11:40,824 that if people are going to pay to pet these things, 267 00:11:40,825 --> 00:11:43,077 they will pay even more to ride them. 268 00:11:44,537 --> 00:11:45,412 Cars aren't a thing. 269 00:11:45,413 --> 00:11:47,539 So for the average person, 270 00:11:47,540 --> 00:11:50,792 40 miles an hour on the back of a dinosaur with feathers 271 00:11:50,793 --> 00:11:53,212 is the thrill of a lifetime. 272 00:11:53,213 --> 00:11:56,256 Of course, if you can ride ostriches, 273 00:11:56,257 --> 00:11:58,551 that also means you can race them. 274 00:11:59,844 --> 00:12:02,512 Ostrich racing becomes a real thing on the farm, 275 00:12:02,513 --> 00:12:03,680 but it's really hard. 276 00:12:03,681 --> 00:12:05,098 You can't put a saddle on them. 277 00:12:05,099 --> 00:12:07,226 Only do your best to balance 278 00:12:07,227 --> 00:12:09,561 and hang on for dear life while they take off. 279 00:12:09,562 --> 00:12:11,146 Most ostrich races finish 280 00:12:11,147 --> 00:12:13,358 with nobody actually on their bird anymore. 281 00:12:14,692 --> 00:12:17,653 Ostriches, in many ways, are the worst possible animal 282 00:12:17,654 --> 00:12:19,529 to pick for a roadside attraction 283 00:12:19,530 --> 00:12:22,199 because they're very aggressive. 284 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,201 They're also very territorial. 285 00:12:24,202 --> 00:12:26,078 That makes them unpredictable. 286 00:12:26,079 --> 00:12:27,496 Hey! 287 00:12:27,497 --> 00:12:29,331 Ostriches are not really built to be ridden, 288 00:12:29,332 --> 00:12:31,792 and they don't really like to be ridden. 289 00:12:31,793 --> 00:12:33,877 So there tend to be injuries that's gonna happen 290 00:12:33,878 --> 00:12:36,922 when you have people interacting with large wild animals. 291 00:12:36,923 --> 00:12:39,258 There's one incident where a male ostrich 292 00:12:39,259 --> 00:12:41,385 kicks a farm worker 15 feet, 293 00:12:41,386 --> 00:12:43,262 and then corners him and starts pecking at him 294 00:12:43,263 --> 00:12:44,930 and attacking him. 295 00:12:44,931 --> 00:12:46,932 And other people have to come and pull the bird off of him 296 00:12:46,933 --> 00:12:48,476 before he kills this man. 297 00:12:49,811 --> 00:12:52,854 In 1913, in the Tournament of Roses, there was a 298 00:12:52,855 --> 00:12:55,941 race and one rider was actually thrown off his ostrich 299 00:12:55,942 --> 00:12:58,152 and kicked 20 feet. 300 00:12:59,487 --> 00:13:01,405 Then this ostrich just takes off into the crowd, 301 00:13:01,406 --> 00:13:03,240 so people are dodging it left and right, 302 00:13:03,241 --> 00:13:05,285 just having no idea what's happening. 303 00:13:06,577 --> 00:13:10,914 The Cawston Ostrich Farm closes in 1935. 304 00:13:10,915 --> 00:13:12,874 It doesn't go away 305 00:13:12,875 --> 00:13:14,710 because they are endangering the public. 306 00:13:14,711 --> 00:13:17,254 It goes away because the Great Depression comes along. 307 00:13:17,255 --> 00:13:18,964 But for a brief time, 308 00:13:18,965 --> 00:13:23,427 Cawston's Ostrich Farm provided the thrill of a lifetime. 309 00:13:23,428 --> 00:13:25,012 You have to remember, there is no internet, 310 00:13:25,013 --> 00:13:27,764 there's no TV, there's just experiences. 311 00:13:27,765 --> 00:13:30,767 So when people went to this ostrich ranch, it was amazing. 312 00:13:30,768 --> 00:13:32,436 It was getting to do this thing 313 00:13:32,437 --> 00:13:34,355 that so few people got to do. 314 00:13:36,357 --> 00:13:38,025 Ostriches were exotic. 315 00:13:38,026 --> 00:13:39,818 But at the dawn of the 1900s, 316 00:13:39,819 --> 00:13:43,280 the animal causing the most chaos in America 317 00:13:43,281 --> 00:13:45,198 wasn't exotic at all. 318 00:13:45,199 --> 00:13:46,825 In fact, it's the one animal 319 00:13:46,826 --> 00:13:49,162 Americans couldn't live without. 320 00:13:50,455 --> 00:13:55,375 By 1900, New York City is home to 170,000 horses. 321 00:13:55,376 --> 00:13:58,128 They're an essential mode of transportation, 322 00:13:58,129 --> 00:14:01,757 but they have one major drawback. 323 00:14:01,758 --> 00:14:03,508 If it were possible to travel back in time, 324 00:14:03,509 --> 00:14:06,762 the thing that would stun people is the stink, the smell. 325 00:14:06,763 --> 00:14:08,096 People are flocking to New York City 326 00:14:08,097 --> 00:14:10,098 thinking the streets are paved with gold. 327 00:14:10,099 --> 00:14:12,601 Well, as it turns out, most of the streets aren't paved 328 00:14:12,602 --> 00:14:15,145 and a lot of them are covered with manure. 329 00:14:15,146 --> 00:14:16,146 The average horse drops between 330 00:14:16,147 --> 00:14:17,773 25 and 30 pounds of manure 331 00:14:17,774 --> 00:14:20,567 on the streets of New York every single day. 332 00:14:20,568 --> 00:14:24,863 So that's about 25 pounds times 170,000 horses. 333 00:14:24,864 --> 00:14:27,533 In a year, that's 1.5 billion pounds. 334 00:14:28,868 --> 00:14:31,828 The Big Apple is not the only city with a 335 00:14:31,829 --> 00:14:33,038 manure crisis. 336 00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:36,500 A British newspaper reports that by 1950, 337 00:14:36,501 --> 00:14:41,422 London, England will be buried in nine feet of dung. 338 00:14:42,673 --> 00:14:45,050 And by that same metric, 339 00:14:45,051 --> 00:14:48,762 New York is gonna be buried in 30 feet. 340 00:14:48,763 --> 00:14:50,722 City street cleaners can't keep up. 341 00:14:50,723 --> 00:14:54,893 And besides that, they use horse-drawn garbage wagons. 342 00:14:54,894 --> 00:14:58,106 So at best, they are two steps forward and one step back. 343 00:14:59,524 --> 00:15:01,233 Even with modern technology, 344 00:15:01,234 --> 00:15:02,818 the city of New York would require 345 00:15:02,819 --> 00:15:05,529 a fleet of 250 garbage trucks 346 00:15:05,530 --> 00:15:08,198 just to clear all of the horse manure out of the streets 347 00:15:08,199 --> 00:15:09,450 with each passing day. 348 00:15:10,576 --> 00:15:12,494 It's so bad that those who can afford it 349 00:15:12,495 --> 00:15:14,621 hire these private crossing sweepers 350 00:15:14,622 --> 00:15:17,833 who can clear a poop-free path for them. 351 00:15:17,834 --> 00:15:20,168 You think it can't get worse? 352 00:15:20,169 --> 00:15:22,129 Just wait until it rains. 353 00:15:22,130 --> 00:15:24,548 Rain wouldn't run off and clean the streets, 354 00:15:24,549 --> 00:15:27,717 instead it would turn the streets into open sewers. 355 00:15:27,718 --> 00:15:31,012 All this sitting manure becomes a hotbed for disease. 356 00:15:31,013 --> 00:15:34,266 Typhoid outbreaks are running rampant in the city. 357 00:15:34,267 --> 00:15:36,143 These flies land on the manure, 358 00:15:36,144 --> 00:15:41,148 and then they go and land on your arm or your meal. 359 00:15:41,149 --> 00:15:43,400 And that's how the disease spreads. 360 00:15:43,401 --> 00:15:45,235 Typhoid fever is no joke. 361 00:15:45,236 --> 00:15:47,404 Severe cases can lead to internal bleeding 362 00:15:47,405 --> 00:15:49,531 and even kidney failure. 363 00:15:49,532 --> 00:15:51,992 One magazine reports that horse manure 364 00:15:51,993 --> 00:15:54,452 and the diseases it spreads contributes to the deaths 365 00:15:54,453 --> 00:15:56,788 of 20,000 people per year. 366 00:15:56,789 --> 00:15:59,958 That's enough people to fill Madison Square Garden. 367 00:15:59,959 --> 00:16:03,128 And horse owners often leave more behind 368 00:16:03,129 --> 00:16:05,173 than just their horse's waste. 369 00:16:06,299 --> 00:16:07,966 Many of these horses are overworked. 370 00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:10,051 And so if they don't last more than two years 371 00:16:10,052 --> 00:16:12,512 and when they collapse, when they have a heart attack, 372 00:16:12,513 --> 00:16:14,973 when they drop dead, it's quite common for the owner 373 00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:17,601 to simply unhook the harness and roll away, 374 00:16:17,602 --> 00:16:19,644 leaving the carcass on the street. 375 00:16:19,645 --> 00:16:21,605 So the streets of Manhattan 376 00:16:21,606 --> 00:16:26,401 were literally littered by horse corpses. 377 00:16:26,402 --> 00:16:28,820 In 1880 alone, New York City removes 378 00:16:28,821 --> 00:16:32,032 more than 15,000 dead horse carcasses. 379 00:16:32,033 --> 00:16:35,535 That's more than 40 dead horses per day. 380 00:16:35,536 --> 00:16:38,872 Some cities even leave the dead horse carcasses 381 00:16:38,873 --> 00:16:40,874 until they start to decompose, 382 00:16:40,875 --> 00:16:45,170 making it easier for them to be sawn apart and carted away. 383 00:16:45,171 --> 00:16:47,339 Not only do decomposing horses 384 00:16:47,340 --> 00:16:48,798 contribute to health problems, 385 00:16:48,799 --> 00:16:50,967 but they're also clogging up the streets 386 00:16:50,968 --> 00:16:52,553 and causing traffic jams. 387 00:16:54,639 --> 00:16:56,097 Starting in the early 1900s, 388 00:16:56,098 --> 00:16:58,767 more and more cars start hitting the streets in cities. 389 00:16:58,768 --> 00:17:00,602 Cars are cleaner, they're quieter, 390 00:17:00,603 --> 00:17:03,188 and they're safer than their four-legged counterparts. 391 00:17:03,189 --> 00:17:06,357 By 1912, New York City has more cars than horses, 392 00:17:06,358 --> 00:17:08,693 and eventually they completely take over. 393 00:17:08,694 --> 00:17:12,155 Once cars came along, we left horses behind, 394 00:17:12,156 --> 00:17:15,576 and finally left behind what they left behind. 395 00:17:18,329 --> 00:17:19,622 If you visit Yellowstone, 396 00:17:20,039 --> 00:17:22,499 you might get to see a wild grizzly through your binoculars. 397 00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:23,750 But there was a time 398 00:17:23,751 --> 00:17:26,252 when one of those park's biggest attractions 399 00:17:26,253 --> 00:17:29,799 involve those same grizzlies and a front row seat. 400 00:17:32,051 --> 00:17:34,219 In 1872, Yellowstone in Wyoming 401 00:17:34,220 --> 00:17:36,888 becomes our first national park. 402 00:17:36,889 --> 00:17:39,182 After the Civil War, we wanted something beautiful 403 00:17:39,183 --> 00:17:41,518 that we could all take pride in. 404 00:17:41,519 --> 00:17:43,478 It's a place of amazing natural beauty, 405 00:17:43,479 --> 00:17:46,231 the hot springs, the geysers, the falls. 406 00:17:46,232 --> 00:17:47,691 But it turns out to be a place 407 00:17:47,692 --> 00:17:49,276 that's not really that easy to visit 408 00:17:49,277 --> 00:17:51,988 and it's not getting as much attendance as was hoped. 409 00:17:53,364 --> 00:17:55,490 Yellowstone is looking like a flop. 410 00:17:55,491 --> 00:17:59,494 So in 1919, a national park service bigwig 411 00:17:59,495 --> 00:18:02,998 named Horace Albright has one big idea 412 00:18:02,999 --> 00:18:05,834 to breathe life into Yellowstone. 413 00:18:05,835 --> 00:18:07,043 Horace Albright decides 414 00:18:07,044 --> 00:18:08,878 that the way to get crowds to Yellowstone 415 00:18:08,879 --> 00:18:10,505 is to give them a show. 416 00:18:10,506 --> 00:18:14,509 And the bears of Yellowstone are perfect to do just that. 417 00:18:16,262 --> 00:18:18,972 And so Albright's idea is to provide opportunities 418 00:18:18,973 --> 00:18:20,390 for people to feed the bears. 419 00:18:20,391 --> 00:18:22,183 So he creates feeding stations. 420 00:18:22,184 --> 00:18:24,561 People drive into the park, roll down their windows, 421 00:18:24,562 --> 00:18:28,273 and offer food out the window to the bears. 422 00:18:28,274 --> 00:18:29,983 And the bears love it. 423 00:18:29,984 --> 00:18:31,735 Even President Warren G. Harding 424 00:18:31,736 --> 00:18:34,362 and President Calvin Coolidge visit Yellowstone 425 00:18:34,363 --> 00:18:35,531 and feed the bears. 426 00:18:36,907 --> 00:18:39,117 At first this seems like a win-win situation. 427 00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:40,619 Park attendants is way up, 428 00:18:40,620 --> 00:18:42,996 and of course the bears are getting fed. 429 00:18:42,997 --> 00:18:44,497 The problem is more and more garbage 430 00:18:44,498 --> 00:18:45,832 is being produced within the park, 431 00:18:45,833 --> 00:18:46,958 and the park administration 432 00:18:46,959 --> 00:18:48,460 needs to get rid of that garbage. 433 00:18:48,461 --> 00:18:51,630 And the bears will basically eat absolutely anything. 434 00:18:51,631 --> 00:18:54,382 So they decide to dump all of the park's garbage 435 00:18:54,383 --> 00:18:57,010 on a platform that the bears can approach. 436 00:18:57,011 --> 00:18:58,595 They have this sign that says 437 00:18:58,596 --> 00:19:01,348 "Lunch Counter. For bears only." 438 00:19:01,349 --> 00:19:02,849 And then they build benches. 439 00:19:02,850 --> 00:19:04,309 So it creates a little stadium 440 00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:06,520 that people can watch just a few feet away. 441 00:19:07,605 --> 00:19:09,856 But everyone keeps forgetting 442 00:19:09,857 --> 00:19:12,735 they're quite literally feeding a beast. 443 00:19:13,778 --> 00:19:16,196 The safety issue is quite serious. 444 00:19:16,197 --> 00:19:19,407 Grizzly bears at Yellowstone reach about 700 pounds. 445 00:19:19,408 --> 00:19:22,118 They're the apex predator in the park. 446 00:19:25,289 --> 00:19:28,917 In 1930, a Texas woman feeds a bear a candy bar, 447 00:19:28,918 --> 00:19:32,629 and the bear says thank you by mauling her arm. 448 00:19:32,630 --> 00:19:34,631 From the 1930s to the 1960s, 449 00:19:34,632 --> 00:19:37,509 an average of 48 people per year 450 00:19:37,510 --> 00:19:39,720 are injured by the bears at Yellowstone. 451 00:19:40,888 --> 00:19:43,682 Cars are attacked, tents are ripped open, 452 00:19:43,683 --> 00:19:46,518 campers get bitten and clawed. 453 00:19:46,519 --> 00:19:49,562 In 1967, the park is forced 454 00:19:49,563 --> 00:19:51,564 to face the increasing danger 455 00:19:51,565 --> 00:19:54,984 when bears killed two people at another national park, 456 00:19:54,985 --> 00:19:59,197 and the last thing Yellowstone wants is a repeat. 457 00:19:59,198 --> 00:20:01,658 This is a huge wake-up call. 458 00:20:01,659 --> 00:20:03,410 So the rangers begin a program 459 00:20:03,411 --> 00:20:06,496 to return the bears to their natural feeding habits. 460 00:20:06,497 --> 00:20:08,707 Now, instead of bear lunch counter signs, 461 00:20:08,708 --> 00:20:11,335 you see signs that say "Don't feed the bears." 462 00:20:12,837 --> 00:20:16,381 So today the park is much safer, the bears are wild 463 00:20:16,382 --> 00:20:19,092 again, but it's also difficult to see a bear in Yellowstone. 464 00:20:19,093 --> 00:20:20,427 There's a part of me that knows 465 00:20:20,428 --> 00:20:22,387 that this was irresponsible stewardship 466 00:20:22,388 --> 00:20:23,722 of a natural resource. 467 00:20:23,723 --> 00:20:25,098 But then there's a part of me that would be like, 468 00:20:25,099 --> 00:20:26,933 "Oh yeah, baby, sign me up." 469 00:20:26,934 --> 00:20:29,311 I would love to have seen something like this. 470 00:20:31,772 --> 00:20:34,983 So feeding bears didn't work out all that well. 471 00:20:34,984 --> 00:20:37,777 But some Americans looked at the situation and thought, 472 00:20:37,778 --> 00:20:40,780 "You know what would be even better? 473 00:20:40,781 --> 00:20:41,824 Fighting one." 474 00:20:43,534 --> 00:20:46,745 For most of human history, if a man was wrestling a bear, 475 00:20:46,746 --> 00:20:49,998 it was not by choice, it was a matter of survival. 476 00:20:49,999 --> 00:20:53,918 And then it became a form of entertainment in the 1800s. 477 00:20:55,629 --> 00:20:57,297 The very first sanctioned 478 00:20:57,298 --> 00:21:00,008 man versus bear wrestling match in America 479 00:21:00,009 --> 00:21:01,760 took place in 1877. 480 00:21:01,761 --> 00:21:04,512 Maybe you're picturing some backwoods venue, 481 00:21:04,513 --> 00:21:08,308 maybe in the woods or on some farms surrounded by hay bales. 482 00:21:10,186 --> 00:21:12,354 This was on 13th Street in Manhattan. 483 00:21:14,523 --> 00:21:19,194 You could go into Manhattan and watch a bear fight a man. 484 00:21:21,030 --> 00:21:24,491 The place is a 300-seat auditorium in New York City 485 00:21:24,492 --> 00:21:26,534 with a tavern on the ground floor, 486 00:21:26,535 --> 00:21:29,537 And the man who ran the tavern actually had the idea 487 00:21:29,538 --> 00:21:32,333 to set up this event as a way to sell more beer. 488 00:21:33,709 --> 00:21:36,252 The beer-selling attraction is a success 489 00:21:36,253 --> 00:21:40,173 and some unlikely stars are born. 490 00:21:40,174 --> 00:21:41,466 The funny thing 491 00:21:41,467 --> 00:21:44,928 about the man versus bear wrestling matches 492 00:21:44,929 --> 00:21:48,097 is that the bears are the ones who become famous. 493 00:21:48,098 --> 00:21:51,810 Lena and Martin, two of the bears, go out on tour 494 00:21:51,811 --> 00:21:54,395 fighting whoever will take them on. 495 00:21:54,396 --> 00:21:57,398 Now, surprisingly, Lena's fame would dim 496 00:21:57,399 --> 00:22:00,569 when she kills an opponent in 1878. 497 00:22:02,696 --> 00:22:05,657 Danger be damned, the matches don't lose steam. 498 00:22:05,658 --> 00:22:10,078 In fact, they gain mainstream attention. 499 00:22:11,705 --> 00:22:15,750 Gene DuBois, a Canadian wrestler, decided to buy a bear 500 00:22:15,751 --> 00:22:18,378 and take it on kind of a sideshow type of experience 501 00:22:18,379 --> 00:22:21,589 where he'd go to venues and he would wrestle this bear 502 00:22:21,590 --> 00:22:22,883 in front of crowds. 503 00:22:24,969 --> 00:22:26,761 His name was Terrible Ted. 504 00:22:26,762 --> 00:22:29,848 Gene DuBois took Terrible Ted around 505 00:22:29,849 --> 00:22:33,560 to wrestle famous wrestlers, including Rocky Johnson, 506 00:22:33,561 --> 00:22:35,436 who most people today would know better 507 00:22:35,437 --> 00:22:39,065 as the father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. 508 00:22:39,066 --> 00:22:42,694 While all this seems like the wild olden days, 509 00:22:42,695 --> 00:22:47,073 man versus bear matches are still happening in the 1980s. 510 00:22:47,074 --> 00:22:49,576 If I can get down low on him, I'm gonna take him. 511 00:22:49,577 --> 00:22:51,160 I've got it in my blood, I'm gonna take him. 512 00:22:51,161 --> 00:22:53,663 They're doing this at local bars. 513 00:22:54,832 --> 00:22:56,457 Even shopping malls. 514 00:22:56,458 --> 00:22:59,794 Imagine you're going into the mall just to buy some sneakers 515 00:22:59,795 --> 00:23:03,214 and you see a guy wrestling a bear. 516 00:23:03,215 --> 00:23:04,299 Hit 'em in the head. 517 00:23:06,385 --> 00:23:08,303 I remember when I was a kid 518 00:23:08,304 --> 00:23:10,388 seeing highlights of Chuck Wepner. 519 00:23:10,389 --> 00:23:11,890 Chuck Wepner was The Bayone Bleeder 520 00:23:11,891 --> 00:23:13,308 who fought Muhammad Ali. 521 00:23:13,309 --> 00:23:14,726 He inspired the "Rocky" movie. 522 00:23:14,727 --> 00:23:16,519 He ended up later in his career 523 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,938 just wrestling bears, fighting bears. 524 00:23:18,939 --> 00:23:20,565 In the end, these wrestling matches 525 00:23:20,566 --> 00:23:21,983 go away for safety reasons. 526 00:23:21,984 --> 00:23:24,986 But not for our safety, for the bear's safety. 527 00:23:24,987 --> 00:23:25,778 And that's not the way you thought 528 00:23:25,779 --> 00:23:27,573 that was gonna go at all. 529 00:23:29,325 --> 00:23:32,160 One hundred years of man versus bear. 530 00:23:32,161 --> 00:23:34,871 The men got mauled, the bears got famous, 531 00:23:34,872 --> 00:23:37,082 and the audience, they got their money's worth. 532 00:23:39,793 --> 00:23:41,586 Modern medicine owes a lot to animals. 533 00:23:41,587 --> 00:23:44,672 We use them to develop medications, test treatments, 534 00:23:44,673 --> 00:23:46,633 and even practice surgeries. 535 00:23:46,634 --> 00:23:49,969 But in the 1920s, a surgeon in Kansas 536 00:23:49,970 --> 00:23:52,597 took that concept in a direction nobody, 537 00:23:52,598 --> 00:23:55,892 and I mean nobody saw coming. 538 00:23:57,811 --> 00:24:01,439 In the 1800s, when people think of impotence, 539 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:05,652 they think of it as a depletion of sperm. 540 00:24:05,653 --> 00:24:09,364 Therefore, doctors will prescribe to not masturbate 541 00:24:09,365 --> 00:24:12,075 as that is a waste of your sperm 542 00:24:12,076 --> 00:24:14,911 and could yield more impotence. 543 00:24:14,912 --> 00:24:16,996 Furthermore, doctors will prescribe 544 00:24:16,997 --> 00:24:21,167 so-called cures like opium or bleeding or quinine. 545 00:24:21,168 --> 00:24:23,252 A doctor named John Brinkley 546 00:24:23,253 --> 00:24:26,631 comes up with a more permanent solution. 547 00:24:26,632 --> 00:24:29,676 Imagine you have a problem and you go to the 548 00:24:29,677 --> 00:24:32,387 doctor, and the doctor says, "I can help you. 549 00:24:32,388 --> 00:24:33,596 And the way I'm gonna do that 550 00:24:33,597 --> 00:24:35,932 is by slicing open your scrotum 551 00:24:35,933 --> 00:24:39,603 and putting like little nut-sized goat 552 00:24:40,980 --> 00:24:42,855 testicles inside of you." 553 00:24:42,856 --> 00:24:44,732 John Brinkley, who's supposed to be 554 00:24:44,733 --> 00:24:46,776 this super sophisticated doctor 555 00:24:46,777 --> 00:24:49,946 with this super star degree, 556 00:24:49,947 --> 00:24:53,908 he has this procedure to sew a goat's testicle 557 00:24:53,909 --> 00:24:55,952 into a man's scrotum. 558 00:24:57,413 --> 00:24:59,414 Brinkley assures his willing patient 559 00:24:59,415 --> 00:25:01,290 that the goat's sex gland 560 00:25:01,291 --> 00:25:05,837 will naturally bond with his organs and his blood vessels 561 00:25:05,838 --> 00:25:08,298 and become a functioning part of his body. 562 00:25:09,717 --> 00:25:11,509 And so he gains a big, big following. 563 00:25:11,510 --> 00:25:14,679 People beat a path through his door for this procedure. 564 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:17,598 There is such a demand for Dr. Brinkley's services 565 00:25:17,599 --> 00:25:18,976 that he branches out. 566 00:25:20,561 --> 00:25:23,271 He thinks what's good for the goose 567 00:25:23,272 --> 00:25:24,856 must be good for the gander. 568 00:25:24,857 --> 00:25:26,733 So he comes up with a brilliant idea 569 00:25:26,734 --> 00:25:31,112 of transplanting goat ovaries into female patients 570 00:25:31,113 --> 00:25:34,241 to help them deal with their pregnancy issues. 571 00:25:35,617 --> 00:25:37,952 People were so desperate to fix these problems. 572 00:25:37,953 --> 00:25:41,956 Brinkley was charging people $750 a procedure, 573 00:25:41,957 --> 00:25:44,459 which is $12,000 in today's money. 574 00:25:44,460 --> 00:25:46,002 Despite the price, 575 00:25:46,003 --> 00:25:48,921 thousands are flocking to his clinic for a cure, 576 00:25:48,922 --> 00:25:53,092 and it raises suspicion at the American Medical Association. 577 00:25:53,093 --> 00:25:54,719 Morris Fishbein, the editor 578 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,430 of the Journal of the American Medical Association, 579 00:25:57,431 --> 00:26:00,349 soon wages a personal and medical crusade 580 00:26:00,350 --> 00:26:03,519 against Dr. Brinkley as a fraud. 581 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,522 Turns out that, quote, "Dr. John Brinkley" 582 00:26:06,523 --> 00:26:08,149 isn't even a real doctor. 583 00:26:08,150 --> 00:26:10,735 His degree is from a sham university. 584 00:26:10,736 --> 00:26:12,987 Goat transplants are bad enough, 585 00:26:12,988 --> 00:26:15,907 but dude isn't even a trained surgeon. 586 00:26:15,908 --> 00:26:17,909 He's just out here wildin', 587 00:26:17,910 --> 00:26:21,454 slicing through scrotums, ruining people's lives. 588 00:26:21,455 --> 00:26:24,415 Any success story reported by Dr. Brinkley's patients 589 00:26:24,416 --> 00:26:26,667 is likely due to the placebo effect. 590 00:26:26,668 --> 00:26:28,586 It's basically a mind trick. 591 00:26:28,587 --> 00:26:30,046 They were not really cured but they 592 00:26:30,047 --> 00:26:32,966 led themselves to believe that they had been cured. 593 00:26:33,967 --> 00:26:35,551 Think about it. 594 00:26:35,552 --> 00:26:39,055 Who's gonna come forward in the 1920s, or even today, 595 00:26:39,056 --> 00:26:41,724 and say that their goat testicle implants 596 00:26:41,725 --> 00:26:44,268 designed to treat impotency didn't work 597 00:26:44,269 --> 00:26:45,729 and so now they want a refund? 598 00:26:46,730 --> 00:26:47,939 No one. 599 00:26:47,940 --> 00:26:50,942 Goat and implant are two words 600 00:26:50,943 --> 00:26:54,946 you do not wanna hear in the same sentence from your doctor. 601 00:26:54,947 --> 00:26:58,157 But what do the words butterfly, chloroform, 602 00:26:58,158 --> 00:27:00,201 and cyanide mean to you? 603 00:27:00,202 --> 00:27:02,995 Believe it or not, to the kids of the 1950s, 604 00:27:02,996 --> 00:27:06,833 it meant the most wholesome hobby you can imagine. 605 00:27:06,834 --> 00:27:10,795 In 1951, Alexander B. Klots releases this book, 606 00:27:10,796 --> 00:27:13,047 "A Field Guide to the Butterflies," 607 00:27:13,048 --> 00:27:15,466 which becomes the bible for butterfly collectors 608 00:27:15,467 --> 00:27:16,884 around the country. 609 00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:20,596 America is suddenly crazy for butterflies. 610 00:27:20,597 --> 00:27:24,100 Clubs spring up, schools send kids out 611 00:27:24,101 --> 00:27:25,893 into fields with nets, 612 00:27:25,894 --> 00:27:28,354 seeing what butterflies they come up with. 613 00:27:28,355 --> 00:27:31,399 It's a huge craze and it's everywhere. 614 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:32,984 The butterflies are beautiful. 615 00:27:32,985 --> 00:27:34,986 But if you really wanna collect them, 616 00:27:36,238 --> 00:27:37,322 you have to kill them. 617 00:27:38,657 --> 00:27:41,576 Butterflies are very delicate. 618 00:27:41,577 --> 00:27:43,744 Their wings are paper thin. 619 00:27:43,745 --> 00:27:48,583 So killing a butterfly by force will wreck your specimen. 620 00:27:48,584 --> 00:27:52,420 Killing something without profound overt physical 621 00:27:52,421 --> 00:27:56,841 damage has long met the use of one thing in particular, poison. 622 00:27:56,842 --> 00:27:59,803 With cyanide being at the top of that list. 623 00:28:01,346 --> 00:28:04,307 Cyanide is what they famously put in the flavor aid punch 624 00:28:04,308 --> 00:28:06,184 at Jonestown to kill everybody. 625 00:28:07,686 --> 00:28:10,938 Cyanide, for as deadly as it is, was crazy easy to get. 626 00:28:10,939 --> 00:28:12,899 You can order it, mail order it, 627 00:28:12,900 --> 00:28:14,984 you can get it out of a science catalog. 628 00:28:14,985 --> 00:28:16,777 And kids can take it right out 629 00:28:16,778 --> 00:28:18,571 of their own chemistry sets. 630 00:28:18,572 --> 00:28:21,490 Kitchen tables turn into these little science labs, 631 00:28:21,491 --> 00:28:25,411 and kids set them up with their wax paper, with their pins, 632 00:28:25,412 --> 00:28:27,623 and of course with their killing jar. 633 00:28:28,874 --> 00:28:30,166 Everybody that's collecting butterflies 634 00:28:30,167 --> 00:28:31,500 has their killing jar. 635 00:28:31,501 --> 00:28:33,252 And you just take a standard glass jar, 636 00:28:33,253 --> 00:28:35,129 you dump in a few cyanide pellets, 637 00:28:35,130 --> 00:28:36,631 you screw the lid on top. 638 00:28:36,632 --> 00:28:38,841 And so you have a perfect specimen every time. 639 00:28:38,842 --> 00:28:40,176 No big deal. 640 00:28:40,177 --> 00:28:41,469 It's not like people don't know 641 00:28:41,470 --> 00:28:43,179 that this stuff is dangerous. 642 00:28:43,180 --> 00:28:44,972 It's been proven for decades. 643 00:28:44,973 --> 00:28:49,185 In 1923, a collector Martin A. Meyer was found dead 644 00:28:49,186 --> 00:28:50,811 next to his killing jar. 645 00:28:50,812 --> 00:28:52,855 People know this is toxic stuff, 646 00:28:52,856 --> 00:28:55,066 but they're still using this chemical. 647 00:28:55,067 --> 00:28:57,068 Now, this breaks my brain a little bit 648 00:28:57,069 --> 00:29:00,196 because at some point hobbyists say, 649 00:29:00,197 --> 00:29:01,697 "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 650 00:29:01,698 --> 00:29:06,744 We can't give cyanide poison to children. 651 00:29:06,745 --> 00:29:09,789 We need to find a safer alternative. 652 00:29:09,790 --> 00:29:12,083 What chemical should we give children 653 00:29:12,084 --> 00:29:14,460 to use for their hobby?" 654 00:29:14,461 --> 00:29:18,214 Eventually they ended up substituting chloroform. 655 00:29:19,424 --> 00:29:21,217 Just so you know what chloroform is, 656 00:29:21,218 --> 00:29:24,095 it's that thing you see a lot in, like, spy movies 657 00:29:24,096 --> 00:29:25,930 where they put it on someone, they breathe it, 658 00:29:25,931 --> 00:29:27,765 and they immediately, like, collapse. 659 00:29:27,766 --> 00:29:29,518 That's chloroform. 660 00:29:30,727 --> 00:29:33,562 And in the 1950s, it's just kind of like 661 00:29:33,563 --> 00:29:35,648 readily available to you. 662 00:29:35,649 --> 00:29:38,275 The movies make chloroform look like melatonin, 663 00:29:38,276 --> 00:29:39,486 but it is not that. 664 00:29:39,987 --> 00:29:44,699 In real life, chloroform creates respiratory 665 00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:48,703 failure, cardiac arrest, kidney damage, liver damage, 666 00:29:48,704 --> 00:29:52,415 and, oh, what's that called, death. 667 00:29:52,416 --> 00:29:55,876 In 1960, the Federal Hazardous Substances 668 00:29:55,877 --> 00:29:57,628 Labeling Act draws a line. 669 00:29:57,629 --> 00:29:59,255 Anything with a serious toxin in it 670 00:29:59,256 --> 00:30:02,133 has to carry a label that says "Danger Poison." 671 00:30:02,134 --> 00:30:05,052 And it's prohibited from being sold to children. 672 00:30:05,053 --> 00:30:09,181 By the 1960s, schools and clubs moved to new ways 673 00:30:09,182 --> 00:30:11,934 of asphyxiating your butterflies. 674 00:30:11,935 --> 00:30:17,065 Ethyl acetate jars, short freezing, carbon dioxide. 675 00:30:17,357 --> 00:30:21,444 All of these new methods are way safer for the kids. 676 00:30:21,445 --> 00:30:23,696 For the butterflies, though, not so much. 677 00:30:27,075 --> 00:30:28,701 Cyanide on the kitchen table 678 00:30:28,702 --> 00:30:30,286 right next to the peanut butter, 679 00:30:30,287 --> 00:30:31,955 the '50s were somethin' else. 680 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,126 There are a lot of things kids can do with a goldfish. 681 00:30:37,127 --> 00:30:39,795 Feed it, watch it, name it. 682 00:30:39,796 --> 00:30:42,757 Well, in 1939, a Harvard student 683 00:30:42,758 --> 00:30:45,343 came up with one more, eat it. 684 00:30:46,595 --> 00:30:48,637 It's March of 1939, 685 00:30:48,638 --> 00:30:50,723 and there is a freshman at Harvard University 686 00:30:50,724 --> 00:30:52,058 in Cambridge, Massachusetts 687 00:30:52,059 --> 00:30:54,727 by the name of Lothrop Withington. 688 00:30:54,728 --> 00:30:57,688 He tells his friends that he is going to swallow 689 00:30:57,689 --> 00:30:59,940 a live goldfish. 690 00:30:59,941 --> 00:31:02,568 His friends laugh, they don't believe him, 691 00:31:02,569 --> 00:31:04,820 and they plunk down a $10 bet, 692 00:31:04,821 --> 00:31:07,364 that's $200 in today's money, 693 00:31:07,365 --> 00:31:10,993 saying, "No way, Lothrop, you're not gonna do this." 694 00:31:10,994 --> 00:31:12,787 And so he picks up a goldfish 695 00:31:12,788 --> 00:31:15,456 and kinda wriggles it around in front of his face. 696 00:31:15,457 --> 00:31:17,917 He holds it over his mouth. 697 00:31:17,918 --> 00:31:21,045 It rides back and forth once or twice, 698 00:31:21,046 --> 00:31:23,881 and then he drops it in. 699 00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:25,758 Swallows it. 700 00:31:27,094 --> 00:31:28,761 With that one gulp, 701 00:31:28,762 --> 00:31:32,681 the biggest craze since dance marathons is born. 702 00:31:32,682 --> 00:31:34,850 The craze spreads to other schools. 703 00:31:34,851 --> 00:31:37,770 But now it's not just, "Can you swallow a goldfish," 704 00:31:37,771 --> 00:31:41,065 it's, "How many goldfish can you swallow?" 705 00:31:41,066 --> 00:31:43,651 Just around the corner at MIT, 706 00:31:43,652 --> 00:31:46,654 one student reportedly swallows 29. 707 00:31:46,655 --> 00:31:50,616 At rival Ivy League Penn, they swallow 42. 708 00:31:50,617 --> 00:31:55,372 The record allegedly is 89 goldfish in one sitting. 709 00:31:57,165 --> 00:31:58,999 But as anyone who has rolled the dice 710 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:01,043 on sketchy sushi can tell you, 711 00:32:01,044 --> 00:32:04,131 raw fish sometimes bites back. 712 00:32:05,382 --> 00:32:08,509 The safety issues around goldfish swallowing, 713 00:32:08,510 --> 00:32:10,719 I think, are pretty clear. 714 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,055 Trying to quickly swallow 89 of anything, 715 00:32:13,056 --> 00:32:14,640 is really not a good idea, 716 00:32:14,641 --> 00:32:17,893 let alone a live goldfish that's flopping around. 717 00:32:17,894 --> 00:32:20,646 It could cause you to choke if it gets stuck in your throat 718 00:32:20,647 --> 00:32:23,649 or can cut off your airway if you accidentally inhale it. 719 00:32:23,650 --> 00:32:27,320 So goldfish are really not meant for mass consumption. 720 00:32:28,738 --> 00:32:31,198 Things get so bad the US Public Health Service steps 721 00:32:31,199 --> 00:32:32,741 in and warns everyone. 722 00:32:32,742 --> 00:32:35,327 Goldfish have tapeworms. 723 00:32:35,328 --> 00:32:38,206 Tapeworms are going to give you anemia. 724 00:32:39,457 --> 00:32:41,125 The only people who don't seem concerned 725 00:32:41,126 --> 00:32:43,502 are the colleges themselves. 726 00:32:43,503 --> 00:32:44,962 What's crazier is that some 727 00:32:44,963 --> 00:32:46,672 of the goldfish swallowing events 728 00:32:46,673 --> 00:32:49,259 are actually campus sanctioned. 729 00:32:50,468 --> 00:32:52,386 It's news. They're in Life magazine. 730 00:32:52,387 --> 00:32:54,763 Why wouldn't you swallow goldfish 731 00:32:54,764 --> 00:32:56,390 to get into Life magazine? 732 00:32:56,391 --> 00:32:58,976 So no one's putting the brakes on this. 733 00:32:58,977 --> 00:33:01,687 In one particular case at MIT, 734 00:33:01,688 --> 00:33:04,857 a hundred kids come to watch it and three policemen, 735 00:33:04,858 --> 00:33:07,526 not to break it up, but to actually enjoy 736 00:33:07,527 --> 00:33:09,779 the spectacle of goldfish eating. 737 00:33:11,239 --> 00:33:14,325 But once a craze draws big crowds and the cops, 738 00:33:14,326 --> 00:33:17,662 the next thing it draws is serious scrutiny. 739 00:33:19,122 --> 00:33:21,332 In April 1939, a member of the Massachusetts 740 00:33:21,333 --> 00:33:27,087 legislature introduces a bill to protect and preserve fish 741 00:33:27,088 --> 00:33:29,925 from cruel and wanton consumption. 742 00:33:31,301 --> 00:33:34,428 But what really kills goldfish swallowing is time. 743 00:33:34,429 --> 00:33:37,640 Like all fans, it simply runs its course. 744 00:33:37,641 --> 00:33:40,434 Years later, they track down Lothrop Withington, 745 00:33:40,435 --> 00:33:42,144 and now he's a successful businessman 746 00:33:42,145 --> 00:33:45,356 who apparently is not swallowing live animals anymore, 747 00:33:45,357 --> 00:33:48,651 and he said that it was a case of mind over matter. 748 00:33:48,652 --> 00:33:51,196 He didn't mind, and that fish didn't matter. 749 00:33:53,156 --> 00:33:56,492 There was a time when the scariest thing in your mailbox 750 00:33:56,493 --> 00:33:58,369 wasn't your credit card bill. 751 00:33:58,370 --> 00:34:00,830 It was something with actual teeth. 752 00:34:01,831 --> 00:34:03,123 The golden age of the comic book 753 00:34:03,124 --> 00:34:05,417 is the 1930s, '40s and '50s. 754 00:34:05,418 --> 00:34:09,129 This is where America is introduced to superheroes 755 00:34:09,130 --> 00:34:12,966 like Captain America, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman. 756 00:34:12,967 --> 00:34:14,802 One of the most iconic elements 757 00:34:14,803 --> 00:34:16,928 of classic comic books of the time 758 00:34:16,929 --> 00:34:19,682 are really these over-the-top ads. 759 00:34:19,683 --> 00:34:21,767 You know, you can order things like X-ray specs, 760 00:34:21,768 --> 00:34:26,605 whoopee cushions, and even live pets. 761 00:34:26,606 --> 00:34:30,109 For 1895, a company in Miami Beach, Florida 762 00:34:30,110 --> 00:34:33,904 will send you a real live squirrel monkey in the mail. 763 00:34:33,905 --> 00:34:36,073 A monkey coming through the mail 764 00:34:36,074 --> 00:34:39,076 with no real instructions about its care, its food. 765 00:34:39,077 --> 00:34:41,745 It says actually that they can eat anything you eat, 766 00:34:41,746 --> 00:34:44,122 and also they love lollipops, 767 00:34:44,123 --> 00:34:46,375 which probably don't exist in the jungles 768 00:34:46,376 --> 00:34:48,002 from which they come. 769 00:34:48,003 --> 00:34:50,129 Most customers think they're getting a cute, 770 00:34:50,130 --> 00:34:51,714 furry little creature. 771 00:34:51,715 --> 00:34:54,174 They are completely unprepared for what they're getting 772 00:34:54,175 --> 00:34:55,885 and what the challenges will be. 773 00:34:57,178 --> 00:35:00,973 Squirrel monkeys require an insane level of care. 774 00:35:00,974 --> 00:35:04,059 And two common squirrel monkey traits, 775 00:35:04,060 --> 00:35:07,813 throwing feces and frequent masturbation. 776 00:35:09,441 --> 00:35:12,234 But still squirrel monkey fever 777 00:35:12,235 --> 00:35:16,697 sweeps over the United States in the '60s and '70s. 778 00:35:16,698 --> 00:35:19,867 As many as 173,000 squirrel monkeys 779 00:35:19,868 --> 00:35:21,785 are imported from Peru and Colombia 780 00:35:21,786 --> 00:35:23,038 during this time period. 781 00:35:23,913 --> 00:35:25,497 This would never happen today. 782 00:35:25,498 --> 00:35:27,958 There are so many regulations about sending 783 00:35:27,959 --> 00:35:29,877 live animals through the mail. 784 00:35:31,254 --> 00:35:35,299 When they arrive, they're hungry, they're angry. 785 00:35:35,300 --> 00:35:37,676 You'd open the box and that monkey would jump out 786 00:35:37,677 --> 00:35:39,888 and bite the first person it sees. 787 00:35:40,930 --> 00:35:43,015 And there's just reports about, 788 00:35:43,016 --> 00:35:45,684 you know, someone's aunt gettin' bitten, 789 00:35:45,685 --> 00:35:49,563 a kid getting bitten, just like it's nuts. 790 00:35:49,564 --> 00:35:51,982 It's probably no surprise that by the late '70s 791 00:35:51,983 --> 00:35:55,694 the ads for live monkeys, they disappear from comic books. 792 00:35:55,695 --> 00:35:59,074 I can't imagine there were too many repeat customers. 793 00:36:01,576 --> 00:36:06,664 173,000 monkeys made the trip through the US mail 794 00:36:06,665 --> 00:36:09,000 and lived to throw feces another day. 795 00:36:12,087 --> 00:36:13,004 Imagine a petting zoo. 796 00:36:13,546 --> 00:36:16,882 Now, replace every animal in it with an alligator. 797 00:36:16,883 --> 00:36:18,759 Well, that's exactly what one man did, 798 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,680 and it went about as well as you'd expect. 799 00:36:23,973 --> 00:36:25,516 In the early 1900s, 800 00:36:25,517 --> 00:36:27,059 there are these three forms of public attractions 801 00:36:27,060 --> 00:36:31,647 that are becoming huge: zoos, circuses, and amusement parks. 802 00:36:31,648 --> 00:36:34,234 People are lining up like crazy for 'em. 803 00:36:35,485 --> 00:36:36,985 That's when a man named Hubert Campbell 804 00:36:36,986 --> 00:36:39,363 decides that he can get rich 805 00:36:39,364 --> 00:36:43,201 by combining all three into one attraction. 806 00:36:44,285 --> 00:36:46,495 Hubert Campbell is a man on a mission. 807 00:36:46,496 --> 00:36:48,872 He wants a visitor attraction 808 00:36:48,873 --> 00:36:51,500 that has the feel of a nature preserve, 809 00:36:51,501 --> 00:36:55,754 sort of an interactive zoo, and he hits on it. 810 00:36:55,755 --> 00:36:58,674 He's gonna open an alligator park. 811 00:36:58,675 --> 00:37:00,050 This guy's an out there character. 812 00:37:00,051 --> 00:37:03,470 He used to perform in the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. 813 00:37:03,471 --> 00:37:06,974 He has a lifelong passion for large reptiles, 814 00:37:06,975 --> 00:37:10,311 and he's even earned the nickname Alligator Joe. 815 00:37:11,646 --> 00:37:13,856 So he gets a business partner named Francis Earnest, 816 00:37:13,857 --> 00:37:16,817 and together they decide to bring alligators 817 00:37:16,818 --> 00:37:18,444 to Southern California. 818 00:37:18,445 --> 00:37:22,072 They start the Los Angeles alligator farm. 819 00:37:22,073 --> 00:37:23,949 Admission is a quarter. 820 00:37:23,950 --> 00:37:25,492 And for that low price, 821 00:37:25,493 --> 00:37:28,996 visitors enter a world of reptilian wonder. 822 00:37:28,997 --> 00:37:30,914 This is not some little sideshow attraction 823 00:37:30,915 --> 00:37:34,042 where there's one alligator or two, or even 20. 824 00:37:34,043 --> 00:37:36,211 This is alligator nation. 825 00:37:36,212 --> 00:37:38,922 They bring in 1,000 alligators, 826 00:37:38,923 --> 00:37:43,218 who just roam freely through this barely contained park, 827 00:37:43,219 --> 00:37:46,722 in the center of a residential LA neighborhood. 828 00:37:46,723 --> 00:37:50,517 It's like Jurassic Park with worse fences. 829 00:37:50,518 --> 00:37:53,937 Now, contrary to what you might be thinking, 830 00:37:53,938 --> 00:37:56,774 gators are not super trainable. 831 00:37:56,775 --> 00:38:01,445 But somehow Alligator Joe works his Alligator Joe magic, 832 00:38:01,446 --> 00:38:04,448 and he has them doing little tricks and stunts, 833 00:38:04,449 --> 00:38:07,326 including going down water slides. 834 00:38:07,327 --> 00:38:08,577 Which is pretty remarkable 835 00:38:08,578 --> 00:38:09,578 when you think some of these alligators 836 00:38:09,579 --> 00:38:11,330 are like 15 feet long. 837 00:38:11,331 --> 00:38:13,332 They even have shows where you can watch 838 00:38:13,333 --> 00:38:16,043 some of their trainers wrestling with the alligators. 839 00:38:16,044 --> 00:38:18,796 You put that on a billboard, 840 00:38:18,797 --> 00:38:21,298 yeah, that's gonna get people to come. 841 00:38:21,299 --> 00:38:24,009 The farm even lets you handle baby alligators. 842 00:38:24,010 --> 00:38:25,969 This is where Joe is really onto something. 843 00:38:25,970 --> 00:38:29,556 He's creating his own lane and people love it. 844 00:38:29,557 --> 00:38:33,101 Families can just mingle with the animals, 845 00:38:33,102 --> 00:38:36,688 pose freely with no barriers between them 846 00:38:36,689 --> 00:38:39,775 and one of nature's most efficient, ruthless, 847 00:38:39,776 --> 00:38:41,486 and deadly predators. 848 00:38:41,611 --> 00:38:44,780 Parents are placing toddlers on alligators for photo 849 00:38:44,781 --> 00:38:48,033 ops and other kids are riding them. 850 00:38:48,034 --> 00:38:51,036 As a kid, I would love to see the alligators, 851 00:38:51,037 --> 00:38:54,164 but I really would like a fence. 852 00:38:54,165 --> 00:38:55,791 The gift shop even sells baby alligators 853 00:38:55,792 --> 00:38:57,084 to take home. 854 00:38:57,085 --> 00:38:58,669 They tell parents, "Don't worry. 855 00:38:58,670 --> 00:39:00,671 When they get too big or bity, 856 00:39:00,672 --> 00:39:02,840 you can come back and trade them in for a smaller one." 857 00:39:02,841 --> 00:39:04,675 It's unreal to imagine. 858 00:39:04,676 --> 00:39:05,843 Normally when you go to the zoo, 859 00:39:05,844 --> 00:39:08,095 you might get a stuffed animal as a souvenir 860 00:39:08,096 --> 00:39:10,681 to remind you of the animals that you saw at the zoo. 861 00:39:10,682 --> 00:39:13,559 You don't usually get to take home a live animal 862 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:15,227 to keep in your bathtub. 863 00:39:15,228 --> 00:39:16,728 There's also this educational angle to the 864 00:39:16,729 --> 00:39:19,022 alligator farm. 865 00:39:19,023 --> 00:39:22,067 You can go see, like, the eggs in incubators. 866 00:39:22,068 --> 00:39:23,861 You can see them being hatched. 867 00:39:23,862 --> 00:39:26,738 There's even sort of a gator ER 868 00:39:26,739 --> 00:39:30,200 where they can see gators recovering from injuries, 869 00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:31,577 which are pretty frequent 870 00:39:31,578 --> 00:39:35,706 because alligators are wildly territorial. 871 00:39:37,417 --> 00:39:38,208 Some of those injuries were incredibly brutal. 872 00:39:38,209 --> 00:39:39,543 Because when they fight, 873 00:39:39,544 --> 00:39:41,712 they're taking chunks out of each other. 874 00:39:41,713 --> 00:39:44,923 Surprisingly enough, the barriers around the park 875 00:39:44,924 --> 00:39:48,343 are so shoddy that alligators are escaping. 876 00:39:48,344 --> 00:39:51,305 And alligators are being found in people's pools 877 00:39:51,306 --> 00:39:54,016 and backyards all the time. 878 00:39:54,017 --> 00:39:56,810 Yet for decades, no one seems to bat an eye 879 00:39:56,811 --> 00:40:01,356 at this hoard of apex predators in the middle of LA. 880 00:40:01,357 --> 00:40:05,068 But eventually disaster strikes. 881 00:40:05,069 --> 00:40:08,906 In 1925, Francis Earnest's seven-year-old son 882 00:40:08,907 --> 00:40:10,407 climbs into the enclosure. 883 00:40:10,408 --> 00:40:12,075 One of those gators leaps up 884 00:40:12,076 --> 00:40:14,453 and grabs Francis Jr. by the hand. 885 00:40:14,454 --> 00:40:17,873 It takes his uncle gouging out the eyes of that gator 886 00:40:17,874 --> 00:40:19,583 to finally get the mouth to open. 887 00:40:19,584 --> 00:40:23,378 By some miracle, Francis Jr. survives this attack. 888 00:40:23,379 --> 00:40:26,882 But no one's calling for the gator farm to be shut down. 889 00:40:26,883 --> 00:40:29,635 Eventually, Alligator Joe's attraction 890 00:40:29,636 --> 00:40:33,889 falls victim not to lawsuits or bad press, 891 00:40:33,890 --> 00:40:35,933 but annoyed neighbors. 892 00:40:35,934 --> 00:40:38,226 In the 1950s, this part of LA 893 00:40:38,227 --> 00:40:40,938 starts becoming more densely populated 894 00:40:40,939 --> 00:40:43,523 and people have had it with the park. 895 00:40:43,524 --> 00:40:46,485 They're sick of alligators roaming the neighborhood. 896 00:40:46,486 --> 00:40:48,904 Today, alligator farms do still exist. 897 00:40:48,905 --> 00:40:51,281 And you can still hold baby alligators, 898 00:40:51,282 --> 00:40:53,450 but toddlers are not allowed to ride them, 899 00:40:53,451 --> 00:40:56,579 and you definitely can't take one home with you. 900 00:40:58,915 --> 00:41:01,708 Looking back on our relationship with animals, 901 00:41:01,709 --> 00:41:04,753 whether it was riding ostriches, wrestling bears, 902 00:41:04,754 --> 00:41:07,756 or even cuddling up to a pet skunk, 903 00:41:07,757 --> 00:41:11,259 sometimes we got a little too close for comfort. 904 00:41:11,260 --> 00:41:12,552 But without them, 905 00:41:12,553 --> 00:41:15,722 our hazardous history wouldn't be as wild.