1 00:00:01,543 --> 00:00:03,920 [quirky music] 2 00:00:03,921 --> 00:00:07,798 - Did you know that there was a time when a family vacation 3 00:00:07,799 --> 00:00:10,927 meant your toddler riding an alligator? 4 00:00:10,928 --> 00:00:15,890 - Families can just mingle, pose freely with no barriers 5 00:00:15,891 --> 00:00:18,976 between them and one of nature's most efficient, 6 00:00:18,977 --> 00:00:21,270 ruthless, and deadly predators. 7 00:00:21,271 --> 00:00:24,607 - It's like Jurassic Park with worse fences. 8 00:00:24,608 --> 00:00:28,736 - Or how about riding the world's fastest bird? 9 00:00:28,737 --> 00:00:32,072 - 40 miles an hour on the back of a dinosaur with feathers 10 00:00:32,073 --> 00:00:33,909 is the thrill of a lifetime. 11 00:00:35,035 --> 00:00:37,620 - Or when you could order a live monkey 12 00:00:37,621 --> 00:00:40,081 from the back of a comic book. 13 00:00:40,082 --> 00:00:42,542 - You'd open the box and that monkey would jump out 14 00:00:42,543 --> 00:00:44,752 and bite the first person it sees. 15 00:00:44,753 --> 00:00:45,920 - There's a part of me that knows 16 00:00:45,921 --> 00:00:47,338 that this was irresponsible, 17 00:00:47,339 --> 00:00:48,839 but then there's a part of me that would be like, 18 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:50,883 "Oh yeah, baby, sign me up." 19 00:00:50,884 --> 00:00:53,552 - These are the things we used to do 20 00:00:53,553 --> 00:00:57,890 for fun, for money, or maybe out of boredom 21 00:00:57,891 --> 00:01:00,393 that we'll never see again. 22 00:01:00,394 --> 00:01:03,271 Were they dangerous? Certainly. 23 00:01:03,272 --> 00:01:05,189 Deadly? Occasionally. 24 00:01:05,190 --> 00:01:08,067 But, boy, wasn't it exciting? 25 00:01:08,068 --> 00:01:10,946 [dramatic music] 26 00:01:14,741 --> 00:01:15,950 [dramatic thud] 27 00:01:15,951 --> 00:01:18,244 [quirky music] 28 00:01:18,245 --> 00:01:20,830 What's more adorable than a cuddly animal? 29 00:01:20,831 --> 00:01:23,624 You see one and you wanna reach out and touch it. 30 00:01:23,625 --> 00:01:25,334 And for a lot of American history, 31 00:01:25,335 --> 00:01:27,670 that's exactly what we did. 32 00:01:27,671 --> 00:01:32,633 The problem? Well, sometimes the animals touched back. 33 00:01:32,634 --> 00:01:33,593 [contemplative music] 34 00:01:33,594 --> 00:01:35,011 - It's the 1970s 35 00:01:35,012 --> 00:01:37,888 and vacations are really considered a luxury. 36 00:01:37,889 --> 00:01:39,432 And only really a privileged few 37 00:01:39,433 --> 00:01:40,975 can afford trips to Disney World 38 00:01:40,976 --> 00:01:42,602 or some far away theme park. 39 00:01:42,603 --> 00:01:44,687 - So it becomes the age of the road trip. 40 00:01:44,688 --> 00:01:46,856 Families pile into station wagons 41 00:01:46,857 --> 00:01:48,607 and look for fun holiday ideas 42 00:01:48,608 --> 00:01:50,860 that are within driving distance. 43 00:01:50,861 --> 00:01:53,988 - [Henry] In 1972, plans are announced 44 00:01:53,989 --> 00:01:57,908 for a new amusement park in West Milford, New Jersey 45 00:01:57,909 --> 00:02:02,288 that promises to be wild, thrilling, and car-friendly. 46 00:02:02,289 --> 00:02:05,958 - [Jason] It's a new kind of zoo and radically different. 47 00:02:05,959 --> 00:02:08,335 Here the animals roam free. 48 00:02:08,336 --> 00:02:10,129 But the people aren't in mobile cages, 49 00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:11,964 they're in little family cars. 50 00:02:11,965 --> 00:02:13,549 - What's more American than like, 51 00:02:13,550 --> 00:02:15,968 "I don't even wanna experience nature 52 00:02:15,969 --> 00:02:18,679 unless it's through the windshield of my car." 53 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:20,264 - [Henry] This bold new attraction 54 00:02:20,265 --> 00:02:22,642 is dubbed "Jungle Habitat", 55 00:02:22,643 --> 00:02:27,188 and it opens to great fanfare in July of 1972. 56 00:02:27,189 --> 00:02:29,231 - [Kavitha] But this is not a petting zoo. 57 00:02:29,232 --> 00:02:32,069 These are some of the most dangerous animals in the world. 58 00:02:33,278 --> 00:02:37,199 - Jungle Habitat brings in 70 lions. 59 00:02:38,158 --> 00:02:41,160 The San Diego Zoo only has nine. [lion grunts] 60 00:02:41,161 --> 00:02:45,581 - In all over 1,500 animals up close, unencumbered, 61 00:02:45,582 --> 00:02:47,959 and, very importantly, unfenced. 62 00:02:49,461 --> 00:02:51,087 - [Kavitha] Jungle Habitat becomes a success almost 63 00:02:51,088 --> 00:02:52,630 off the bat. 64 00:02:52,631 --> 00:02:56,008 It has 250,000 visitors in just its first three months. 65 00:02:56,009 --> 00:02:59,720 Cars are lining up for up to seven miles just to get in. 66 00:02:59,721 --> 00:03:00,805 [lion purrs] 67 00:03:00,806 --> 00:03:02,306 - [Jason] But a real African safari, 68 00:03:02,307 --> 00:03:03,891 you are with trained professionals in vehicles 69 00:03:03,892 --> 00:03:06,018 especially designed for the purpose. 70 00:03:06,019 --> 00:03:07,436 In this case, 71 00:03:07,437 --> 00:03:09,397 you're just driving through in the family car. 72 00:03:09,398 --> 00:03:11,524 - [Kavitha] Animals are walking around 73 00:03:11,525 --> 00:03:13,317 looking at you like you're lunch. 74 00:03:13,318 --> 00:03:15,194 - [Henry] In this drive-through attraction, 75 00:03:15,195 --> 00:03:17,988 a vehicle is not the safe space 76 00:03:17,989 --> 00:03:20,825 visitors think it will be. 77 00:03:20,826 --> 00:03:22,202 [lion snarls] 78 00:03:22,369 --> 00:03:24,078 - [Jason] From day one, cars are basically under siege. 79 00:03:24,079 --> 00:03:26,330 Baboons start to tear at cars. 80 00:03:26,331 --> 00:03:28,207 Lions and tigers, they're pawing 81 00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:30,376 and scratching at the sides of your car. 82 00:03:30,377 --> 00:03:32,962 But most people, one of the animals on their car, 83 00:03:32,963 --> 00:03:34,964 that's the thrill. 84 00:03:34,965 --> 00:03:37,591 They actually put this right in their logo. 85 00:03:37,592 --> 00:03:38,969 [suspenseful music] 86 00:03:39,094 --> 00:03:41,429 - [Adam] You have to keep the windows rolled up. 87 00:03:41,430 --> 00:03:43,973 But this is in the early '70s, 88 00:03:43,974 --> 00:03:47,726 before air conditioning came standard in most cars, 89 00:03:47,727 --> 00:03:51,564 which means that on like an 85-degree day in the summer, 90 00:03:51,565 --> 00:03:55,192 it's about 110 degrees in the car. 91 00:03:55,193 --> 00:03:57,695 - [Austin] These cars are dangerously hot. 92 00:03:57,696 --> 00:04:00,573 So people begin rolling down their windows. 93 00:04:00,574 --> 00:04:05,202 - [Adam] Just months after opening, disaster strikes. 94 00:04:05,203 --> 00:04:07,955 A man has rolled the window down 95 00:04:07,956 --> 00:04:11,959 to call and taunt and tease a lion. 96 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:14,295 Let me just let that sink in. 97 00:04:14,296 --> 00:04:16,630 A human being is teasing a lion. 98 00:04:18,048 --> 00:04:20,342 - [Kavitha] And the lion reaches in and mauls him from the front. 99 00:04:20,343 --> 00:04:22,595 He turns around and gets him from the back 100 00:04:22,596 --> 00:04:24,930 and somehow they managed to escape. 101 00:04:24,931 --> 00:04:27,933 - [Adam] Believe it or not, the guy doesn't sue the park. 102 00:04:27,934 --> 00:04:29,143 He blames himself 103 00:04:29,144 --> 00:04:31,772 because, you know, he taunted a lion. 104 00:04:32,939 --> 00:04:35,065 - [Henry] Most park visitors are thrilled 105 00:04:35,066 --> 00:04:37,526 by the wild interactive experience. 106 00:04:37,527 --> 00:04:40,446 But Jungle Habitat's suburban neighbors 107 00:04:40,447 --> 00:04:44,074 are not so happy with park security. 108 00:04:44,075 --> 00:04:46,202 - Two wolves sneak out from under a fence, 109 00:04:46,203 --> 00:04:50,122 baboons escape and send, like, local schools into lockdown. 110 00:04:50,123 --> 00:04:53,459 You got kangaroos and emus walking down the street. 111 00:04:53,460 --> 00:04:54,835 - Nobody thinks about the neighborhoods 112 00:04:54,836 --> 00:04:56,545 around these animal parts. 113 00:04:56,546 --> 00:04:58,964 If those fences aren't done the right way, 114 00:04:58,965 --> 00:05:01,008 you got yourself a crocodile in your pool 115 00:05:01,009 --> 00:05:02,594 and a lion in your driveway. 116 00:05:04,846 --> 00:05:07,348 - [Kavitha] In addition to all of these obvious safety issues, 117 00:05:07,349 --> 00:05:09,558 it's actually turns out really expensive 118 00:05:09,559 --> 00:05:11,060 to run a park like this. 119 00:05:11,061 --> 00:05:12,770 - [Jason] Just to feed the lions alone 120 00:05:12,771 --> 00:05:16,482 requires 1,400 pounds of horse meat per day. 121 00:05:16,483 --> 00:05:18,442 Even though they've got lots of customers coming through, 122 00:05:18,443 --> 00:05:20,444 they're actually hemorrhaging money. 123 00:05:20,445 --> 00:05:24,198 - [Kavitha] After just four years of this death trap of a 124 00:05:24,199 --> 00:05:26,784 zoo, Jungle Habitat finally closes. 125 00:05:26,785 --> 00:05:28,702 [lion grunts] 126 00:05:28,703 --> 00:05:31,664 - So a lion safari didn't work out. 127 00:05:31,665 --> 00:05:33,874 But there was a time not long ago 128 00:05:33,875 --> 00:05:36,961 when you didn't have to drive anywhere to see wild animals 129 00:05:36,962 --> 00:05:39,589 because they lived right in your home. 130 00:05:40,882 --> 00:05:42,466 - Throughout the 1900s, 131 00:05:42,467 --> 00:05:44,134 having strange pets is definitely 132 00:05:44,135 --> 00:05:45,928 an American fascination. 133 00:05:45,929 --> 00:05:49,390 President Calvin Coolidge has a pet raccoon. 134 00:05:49,391 --> 00:05:52,142 Elvis Presley has a chimpanzee. 135 00:05:52,143 --> 00:05:55,104 Tippi Hedren, the actress, Melanie Griffith's mother, 136 00:05:55,105 --> 00:05:56,647 has a pet lion. 137 00:05:56,648 --> 00:05:57,731 I mean, this is something that's 138 00:05:57,732 --> 00:06:00,110 definitely a status symbol. 139 00:06:00,652 --> 00:06:03,696 - [Henry] But in the 1950s, an unconventional animal 140 00:06:03,697 --> 00:06:06,241 becomes America's latest obsession. 141 00:06:07,367 --> 00:06:09,410 - One bizarre animal that became a pet 142 00:06:09,411 --> 00:06:11,913 for people to own is the skunk. 143 00:06:13,081 --> 00:06:16,166 - Skunks are the smelliest animals out there. 144 00:06:16,167 --> 00:06:17,960 If you get one of these in your neighborhood, 145 00:06:17,961 --> 00:06:20,921 you can smell it from a mile or two away. 146 00:06:20,922 --> 00:06:25,467 But somehow they become pets. 147 00:06:25,468 --> 00:06:28,012 - Skunks have been a comic trope for decades. 148 00:06:28,013 --> 00:06:31,348 They're in Abbott and Costello, they're in Disney movies, 149 00:06:31,349 --> 00:06:32,766 they're in The Three Stooges, 150 00:06:32,767 --> 00:06:36,270 and of course, one of my favorites, Pepe Le Pew. 151 00:06:36,271 --> 00:06:38,272 - [Hakeem] Because cartoon skunks are so cute, 152 00:06:38,273 --> 00:06:40,107 people are startin' to soften to them. 153 00:06:40,108 --> 00:06:42,943 So some enterprising breeders start thinkin', 154 00:06:42,944 --> 00:06:46,071 "Hey, skunks are having a moment. 155 00:06:46,072 --> 00:06:49,033 Could people buy them as pets?" 156 00:06:49,034 --> 00:06:51,452 - [Henry] Turns out they will. 157 00:06:51,453 --> 00:06:53,621 - So how do you market a skunk as a pet? 158 00:06:53,622 --> 00:06:55,664 Well, you tell people they're easily trainable, 159 00:06:55,665 --> 00:06:58,792 they're smart, cuddly, kind. 160 00:06:58,793 --> 00:07:01,003 - [Natalia] People buy them at fairs and shops 161 00:07:01,004 --> 00:07:03,797 and even through the mail, Sears and Spiegel, 162 00:07:03,798 --> 00:07:06,425 two big mail order catalogs, sell them. 163 00:07:06,426 --> 00:07:08,385 And the idea is that this intelligent, 164 00:07:08,386 --> 00:07:11,639 cute friend of yours won't spray you 165 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:13,224 and will be your companion. 166 00:07:14,643 --> 00:07:15,685 - [Jason] And you can see the appeal. 167 00:07:15,810 --> 00:07:17,561 They're cute. They're not super big. 168 00:07:17,562 --> 00:07:21,315 Kids would love them because kids love weird stuff. 169 00:07:21,316 --> 00:07:23,609 The other thing that skunks give you are something 170 00:07:23,610 --> 00:07:25,611 that maybe no one else in your neighborhood has. 171 00:07:25,612 --> 00:07:26,904 And so suddenly you've got something 172 00:07:26,905 --> 00:07:28,238 people are gonna wanna see. 173 00:07:28,239 --> 00:07:30,366 And there was such a big part of society 174 00:07:30,367 --> 00:07:31,700 about sort of showing off. 175 00:07:31,701 --> 00:07:33,744 If you can get the newest or the coolest, 176 00:07:33,745 --> 00:07:35,954 maybe you can get the weirdest and have the strangest pet. 177 00:07:35,955 --> 00:07:39,291 "I don't have a border collie. I have a skunk." 178 00:07:39,292 --> 00:07:41,669 That's status. 179 00:07:41,670 --> 00:07:43,295 - I would absolutely own a pet skunk. 180 00:07:43,296 --> 00:07:44,254 How fun would that be? 181 00:07:44,255 --> 00:07:45,756 I would love to have a pet skunk. 182 00:07:45,757 --> 00:07:47,424 First of all, they eat ticks. 183 00:07:47,425 --> 00:07:48,967 So if you ever get a tick, you're set 184 00:07:48,968 --> 00:07:51,720 'cause your pet skunk is gonna eat your ticks off of you. 185 00:07:51,721 --> 00:07:53,097 So that's handy. 186 00:07:53,098 --> 00:07:55,099 They're smart, they're social, they're cute. 187 00:07:55,100 --> 00:07:57,601 Have you ever seen a skunk with its babies? 188 00:07:57,602 --> 00:07:59,520 They're so cute. 189 00:07:59,521 --> 00:08:02,314 My favorite thing about skunks, hands down, literally, 190 00:08:02,315 --> 00:08:03,899 is that they can do a handstand 191 00:08:03,900 --> 00:08:06,652 and point their butt at you over their back 192 00:08:06,653 --> 00:08:08,278 and spray you in the face. 193 00:08:08,279 --> 00:08:10,323 Like, that's awesome. 194 00:08:11,241 --> 00:08:12,408 - [Rutledge] The idea for a lot of people 195 00:08:12,409 --> 00:08:14,451 is you could get a skunk and train it. 196 00:08:14,452 --> 00:08:16,036 You could put it on a leash 197 00:08:16,037 --> 00:08:18,247 and, like, take it for a walk around the neighborhood. 198 00:08:18,248 --> 00:08:19,498 Everyone's gonna love it. 199 00:08:19,499 --> 00:08:21,291 They're gonna wanna come up and pet it. 200 00:08:21,292 --> 00:08:24,879 - Oh, baby, baby. What am I going to do with you? 201 00:08:26,005 --> 00:08:28,048 - [Henry] Soon skunks are so coveted. 202 00:08:28,049 --> 00:08:30,801 Pet shop owners can't keep them in stock. 203 00:08:30,802 --> 00:08:33,387 But what about the smell? 204 00:08:33,388 --> 00:08:35,431 - [Jason] Might sound insane, but these are skunks 205 00:08:35,432 --> 00:08:39,101 that have had their stink glands surgically removed. 206 00:08:39,102 --> 00:08:40,185 [ominous music] 207 00:08:40,186 --> 00:08:41,394 - [Henry] But while these skunks 208 00:08:41,395 --> 00:08:43,480 might lack their stink glands, 209 00:08:43,481 --> 00:08:45,733 they still have their teeth. 210 00:08:45,734 --> 00:08:49,236 - You would think that a descented skunk is safe 211 00:08:49,237 --> 00:08:51,905 because it's basically had its ammunition taken away. 212 00:08:51,906 --> 00:08:54,366 But the thing is that it can still bite you 213 00:08:54,367 --> 00:08:55,993 and it can still scratch you. 214 00:08:55,994 --> 00:08:58,120 - [Hakeem] Skunks can become aggressive when threatened. 215 00:08:58,121 --> 00:08:59,747 And they can pack a punch. 216 00:08:59,748 --> 00:09:02,958 I mean, their bite is strong enough to break your finger. 217 00:09:02,959 --> 00:09:04,460 They have nearly one-inch fangs 218 00:09:04,461 --> 00:09:06,545 that can cause deep puncture wounds. 219 00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:09,048 And they also have these long curved claws 220 00:09:09,049 --> 00:09:11,216 for ripping through soil and roots 221 00:09:11,217 --> 00:09:14,054 that can also slice you open pretty easily too. 222 00:09:15,263 --> 00:09:16,805 - [Henry] But scratches and bites 223 00:09:16,806 --> 00:09:19,224 might be the least of your concerns. 224 00:09:19,225 --> 00:09:21,810 - Skunks are actually the most common carrier of rabies. 225 00:09:21,811 --> 00:09:24,563 And they're actually also the most common animal 226 00:09:24,564 --> 00:09:26,523 to transmit rabies to humans, 227 00:09:26,524 --> 00:09:30,152 which includes you, their owner. 228 00:09:30,153 --> 00:09:32,279 - [Natalia] These bites happen fairly often. 229 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,908 By the time the CDC starts tracking them in the 1970s, 230 00:09:35,909 --> 00:09:39,036 they find nearly 200 incidents. 231 00:09:39,037 --> 00:09:41,246 - [Dan] If there's a chance, you have to treat it seriously. 232 00:09:41,247 --> 00:09:43,582 And so for a person at that time, 233 00:09:43,583 --> 00:09:46,960 that means 20 shots of the vaccine in the stomach. 234 00:09:46,961 --> 00:09:48,963 Really painful, no fun at all. 235 00:09:50,340 --> 00:09:53,843 - [Henry] As rabies scares rise, the government steps in. 236 00:09:55,637 --> 00:09:57,471 - [Natalia] Due to this concern over rabies, 237 00:09:57,472 --> 00:09:59,056 there are ordinances all over 238 00:09:59,057 --> 00:10:00,808 that don't permit them as pets. 239 00:10:00,809 --> 00:10:02,768 And right now, the vast majority of states 240 00:10:02,769 --> 00:10:04,186 still have those on the books. 241 00:10:04,187 --> 00:10:06,605 - [Hakeem] Today, we got all these snowflakey pets, 242 00:10:06,606 --> 00:10:09,399 like cats and dogs that are hypoallergenic 243 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:11,235 or bred not to bark. 244 00:10:11,236 --> 00:10:12,486 Don't you kinda miss the days 245 00:10:12,487 --> 00:10:14,404 when you could just pick up a catalog 246 00:10:14,405 --> 00:10:17,407 and order your children a rabid wild animal 247 00:10:17,408 --> 00:10:18,910 for just 25 bucks? 248 00:10:20,161 --> 00:10:22,205 - Maybe next time just go with a kitten. 249 00:10:25,125 --> 00:10:27,501 - Lots of people enjoy riding horses and mules, 250 00:10:27,502 --> 00:10:31,296 and, depending on where you live, camels and elephants too. 251 00:10:31,297 --> 00:10:33,882 But did you know that there was once a time 252 00:10:33,883 --> 00:10:37,219 when you could ride birds? 253 00:10:37,220 --> 00:10:39,763 - [Dan] In the 1880s, a Brit named Edwin Cawston 254 00:10:39,764 --> 00:10:41,723 imports a whole bunch of ostriches 255 00:10:41,724 --> 00:10:44,143 to his farm in South Pasadena, California. 256 00:10:44,144 --> 00:10:45,477 He's planning to get rich 257 00:10:45,478 --> 00:10:47,479 selling the feathers of these birds 258 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:50,274 because they're really big in ladies fashion at the time. 259 00:10:50,275 --> 00:10:51,859 - [Kavitha] Most people in South Pasadena 260 00:10:51,860 --> 00:10:54,403 have never seen an ostrich up close before. 261 00:10:54,404 --> 00:10:57,739 They're like these dinosaurs running around. 262 00:10:57,740 --> 00:11:01,493 Pretty soon people are lining up to gawk at the ostriches, 263 00:11:01,494 --> 00:11:04,496 and he realizes he has this entirely different business. 264 00:11:04,497 --> 00:11:07,583 People will pay to see the ostriches on his farm. 265 00:11:07,584 --> 00:11:09,751 - [Henry] Cawston's Ostrich Farm 266 00:11:09,752 --> 00:11:14,716 opens in the city of South Pasadena in 1896. 267 00:11:15,717 --> 00:11:17,217 Newspapers are soon raving about it 268 00:11:17,218 --> 00:11:20,762 as one of the nation's most fascinating attractions. 269 00:11:20,763 --> 00:11:21,930 - [Brian] I would go to an ostrich farm. 270 00:11:21,931 --> 00:11:23,599 I mean, the whole point of it 271 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,393 is like you're seeing something that you would never see. 272 00:11:26,394 --> 00:11:30,397 In no world am I running into an ostrich on Staten Island. 273 00:11:30,398 --> 00:11:33,525 - [Kavitha] People are fascinated by how fast they can 274 00:11:33,526 --> 00:11:36,153 move, with a top speed of over 40 miles an hour. 275 00:11:36,154 --> 00:11:37,905 It's not long before Cawston realizes 276 00:11:37,906 --> 00:11:40,824 that if people are going to pay to pet these things, 277 00:11:40,825 --> 00:11:43,077 they will pay even more to ride them. 278 00:11:44,537 --> 00:11:45,412 - [Dan] Cars aren't a thing. 279 00:11:45,413 --> 00:11:47,539 So for the average person, 280 00:11:47,540 --> 00:11:50,792 40 miles an hour on the back of a dinosaur with feathers 281 00:11:50,793 --> 00:11:53,212 is the thrill of a lifetime. 282 00:11:53,213 --> 00:11:56,256 - [Henry] Of course, if you can ride ostriches, 283 00:11:56,257 --> 00:11:58,551 that also means you can race them. 284 00:11:59,844 --> 00:12:02,512 - [Dan] Ostrich racing becomes a real thing on the farm, 285 00:12:02,513 --> 00:12:03,680 but it's really hard. 286 00:12:03,681 --> 00:12:05,098 You can't put a saddle on them. 287 00:12:05,099 --> 00:12:07,226 Only do your best to balance 288 00:12:07,227 --> 00:12:09,561 and hang on for dear life while they take off. 289 00:12:09,562 --> 00:12:11,146 Most ostrich races finish 290 00:12:11,147 --> 00:12:13,358 with nobody actually on their bird anymore. 291 00:12:14,692 --> 00:12:17,653 - Ostriches, in many ways, are the worst possible animal 292 00:12:17,654 --> 00:12:19,529 to pick for a roadside attraction 293 00:12:19,530 --> 00:12:22,199 because they're very aggressive. 294 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:24,201 They're also very territorial. 295 00:12:24,202 --> 00:12:26,078 That makes them unpredictable. 296 00:12:26,079 --> 00:12:27,496 - [Worker] Hey! 297 00:12:27,497 --> 00:12:29,331 - Ostriches are not really built to be ridden, 298 00:12:29,332 --> 00:12:31,792 and they don't really like to be ridden. 299 00:12:31,793 --> 00:12:33,877 So there tend to be injuries that's gonna happen 300 00:12:33,878 --> 00:12:36,922 when you have people interacting with large wild animals. 301 00:12:36,923 --> 00:12:39,258 - [Kavitha] There's one incident where a male ostrich 302 00:12:39,259 --> 00:12:41,385 kicks a farm worker 15 feet, 303 00:12:41,386 --> 00:12:43,262 and then corners him and starts pecking at him 304 00:12:43,263 --> 00:12:44,930 and attacking him. 305 00:12:44,931 --> 00:12:46,932 And other people have to come and pull the bird off of him 306 00:12:46,933 --> 00:12:48,476 before he kills this man. 307 00:12:49,811 --> 00:12:52,854 - [Rutledge] In 1913, in the Tournament of Roses, there was a 308 00:12:52,855 --> 00:12:55,941 race and one rider was actually thrown off his ostrich 309 00:12:55,942 --> 00:12:58,152 and kicked 20 feet. 310 00:12:59,487 --> 00:13:01,405 Then this ostrich just takes off into the crowd, 311 00:13:01,406 --> 00:13:03,240 so people are dodging it left and right, 312 00:13:03,241 --> 00:13:05,285 just having no idea what's happening. 313 00:13:06,577 --> 00:13:10,914 - [Henry] The Cawston Ostrich Farm closes in 1935. 314 00:13:10,915 --> 00:13:12,874 - It doesn't go away 315 00:13:12,875 --> 00:13:14,710 because they are endangering the public. 316 00:13:14,711 --> 00:13:17,254 It goes away because the Great Depression comes along. 317 00:13:17,255 --> 00:13:18,964 - [Henry] But for a brief time, 318 00:13:18,965 --> 00:13:23,427 Cawston's Ostrich Farm provided the thrill of a lifetime. 319 00:13:23,428 --> 00:13:25,012 - [Rutledge] You have to remember, there is no internet, 320 00:13:25,013 --> 00:13:27,764 there's no TV, there's just experiences. 321 00:13:27,765 --> 00:13:30,767 So when people went to this ostrich ranch, it was amazing. 322 00:13:30,768 --> 00:13:32,436 It was getting to do this thing 323 00:13:32,437 --> 00:13:34,355 that so few people got to do. 324 00:13:36,357 --> 00:13:38,025 - Ostriches were exotic. 325 00:13:38,026 --> 00:13:39,818 But at the dawn of the 1900s, 326 00:13:39,819 --> 00:13:43,280 the animal causing the most chaos in America 327 00:13:43,281 --> 00:13:45,198 wasn't exotic at all. 328 00:13:45,199 --> 00:13:46,825 In fact, it's the one animal 329 00:13:46,826 --> 00:13:49,162 Americans couldn't live without. 330 00:13:50,455 --> 00:13:55,375 - [Jason] By 1900, New York City is home to 170,000 horses. 331 00:13:55,376 --> 00:13:58,128 They're an essential mode of transportation, 332 00:13:58,129 --> 00:14:01,757 but they have one major drawback. 333 00:14:01,758 --> 00:14:03,508 - If it were possible to travel back in time, 334 00:14:03,509 --> 00:14:06,762 the thing that would stun people is the stink, the smell. 335 00:14:06,763 --> 00:14:08,096 - [Jason] People are flocking to New York City 336 00:14:08,097 --> 00:14:10,098 thinking the streets are paved with gold. 337 00:14:10,099 --> 00:14:12,601 Well, as it turns out, most of the streets aren't paved 338 00:14:12,602 --> 00:14:15,145 and a lot of them are covered with manure. 339 00:14:15,146 --> 00:14:16,146 - [Edward] The average horse drops between 340 00:14:16,147 --> 00:14:17,773 25 and 30 pounds of manure 341 00:14:17,774 --> 00:14:20,567 on the streets of New York every single day. 342 00:14:20,568 --> 00:14:24,863 So that's about 25 pounds times 170,000 horses. 343 00:14:24,864 --> 00:14:27,533 In a year, that's 1.5 billion pounds. 344 00:14:28,868 --> 00:14:31,828 - [Adam] The Big Apple is not the only city with a 345 00:14:31,829 --> 00:14:33,038 manure crisis. 346 00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:36,500 A British newspaper reports that by 1950, 347 00:14:36,501 --> 00:14:41,422 London, England will be buried in nine feet of dung. 348 00:14:42,673 --> 00:14:45,050 And by that same metric, 349 00:14:45,051 --> 00:14:48,762 New York is gonna be buried in 30 feet. 350 00:14:48,763 --> 00:14:50,722 - [Jason] City street cleaners can't keep up. 351 00:14:50,723 --> 00:14:54,893 And besides that, they use horse-drawn garbage wagons. 352 00:14:54,894 --> 00:14:58,106 So at best, they are two steps forward and one step back. 353 00:14:59,524 --> 00:15:01,233 - [Martin] Even with modern technology, 354 00:15:01,234 --> 00:15:02,818 the city of New York would require 355 00:15:02,819 --> 00:15:05,529 a fleet of 250 garbage trucks 356 00:15:05,530 --> 00:15:08,198 just to clear all of the horse manure out of the streets 357 00:15:08,199 --> 00:15:09,450 with each passing day. 358 00:15:10,576 --> 00:15:12,494 - [Jason] It's so bad that those who can afford it 359 00:15:12,495 --> 00:15:14,621 hire these private crossing sweepers 360 00:15:14,622 --> 00:15:17,833 who can clear a poop-free path for them. 361 00:15:17,834 --> 00:15:20,168 - [Martin] You think it can't get worse? 362 00:15:20,169 --> 00:15:22,129 Just wait until it rains. 363 00:15:22,130 --> 00:15:24,548 Rain wouldn't run off and clean the streets, 364 00:15:24,549 --> 00:15:27,717 instead it would turn the streets into open sewers. 365 00:15:27,718 --> 00:15:31,012 - All this sitting manure becomes a hotbed for disease. 366 00:15:31,013 --> 00:15:34,266 Typhoid outbreaks are running rampant in the city. 367 00:15:34,267 --> 00:15:36,143 - These flies land on the manure, 368 00:15:36,144 --> 00:15:41,148 and then they go and land on your arm or your meal. 369 00:15:41,149 --> 00:15:43,400 And that's how the disease spreads. 370 00:15:43,401 --> 00:15:45,235 - [Jason] Typhoid fever is no joke. 371 00:15:45,236 --> 00:15:47,404 Severe cases can lead to internal bleeding 372 00:15:47,405 --> 00:15:49,531 and even kidney failure. 373 00:15:49,532 --> 00:15:51,992 One magazine reports that horse manure 374 00:15:51,993 --> 00:15:54,452 and the diseases it spreads contributes to the deaths 375 00:15:54,453 --> 00:15:56,788 of 20,000 people per year. 376 00:15:56,789 --> 00:15:59,958 That's enough people to fill Madison Square Garden. 377 00:15:59,959 --> 00:16:03,128 - [Henry] And horse owners often leave more behind 378 00:16:03,129 --> 00:16:05,173 than just their horse's waste. 379 00:16:06,299 --> 00:16:07,966 - [Edward] Many of these horses are overworked. 380 00:16:07,967 --> 00:16:10,051 And so if they don't last more than two years 381 00:16:10,052 --> 00:16:12,512 and when they collapse, when they have a heart attack, 382 00:16:12,513 --> 00:16:14,973 when they drop dead, it's quite common for the owner 383 00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:17,601 to simply unhook the harness and roll away, 384 00:16:17,602 --> 00:16:19,644 leaving the carcass on the street. 385 00:16:19,645 --> 00:16:21,605 - [Martin] So the streets of Manhattan 386 00:16:21,606 --> 00:16:26,401 were literally littered by horse corpses. 387 00:16:26,402 --> 00:16:28,820 - [Jason] In 1880 alone, New York City removes 388 00:16:28,821 --> 00:16:32,032 more than 15,000 dead horse carcasses. 389 00:16:32,033 --> 00:16:35,535 That's more than 40 dead horses per day. 390 00:16:35,536 --> 00:16:38,872 Some cities even leave the dead horse carcasses 391 00:16:38,873 --> 00:16:40,874 until they start to decompose, 392 00:16:40,875 --> 00:16:45,170 making it easier for them to be sawn apart and carted away. 393 00:16:45,171 --> 00:16:47,339 Not only do decomposing horses 394 00:16:47,340 --> 00:16:48,798 contribute to health problems, 395 00:16:48,799 --> 00:16:50,967 but they're also clogging up the streets 396 00:16:50,968 --> 00:16:52,553 and causing traffic jams. 397 00:16:54,639 --> 00:16:56,097 - [Edward] Starting in the early 1900s, 398 00:16:56,098 --> 00:16:58,767 more and more cars start hitting the streets in cities. 399 00:16:58,768 --> 00:17:00,602 Cars are cleaner, they're quieter, 400 00:17:00,603 --> 00:17:03,188 and they're safer than their four-legged counterparts. 401 00:17:03,189 --> 00:17:06,357 - By 1912, New York City has more cars than horses, 402 00:17:06,358 --> 00:17:08,693 and eventually they completely take over. 403 00:17:08,694 --> 00:17:12,155 - Once cars came along, we left horses behind, 404 00:17:12,156 --> 00:17:15,576 and finally left behind what they left behind. 405 00:17:18,329 --> 00:17:19,622 - If you visit Yellowstone, 406 00:17:20,039 --> 00:17:22,499 you might get to see a wild grizzly through your binoculars. 407 00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:23,750 But there was a time 408 00:17:23,751 --> 00:17:26,252 when one of those park's biggest attractions 409 00:17:26,253 --> 00:17:29,799 involve those same grizzlies and a front row seat. 410 00:17:30,758 --> 00:17:32,050 [whimsical music] 411 00:17:32,051 --> 00:17:34,219 - [Martin] In 1872, Yellowstone in Wyoming 412 00:17:34,220 --> 00:17:36,888 becomes our first national park. 413 00:17:36,889 --> 00:17:39,182 After the Civil War, we wanted something beautiful 414 00:17:39,183 --> 00:17:41,518 that we could all take pride in. 415 00:17:41,519 --> 00:17:43,478 - It's a place of amazing natural beauty, 416 00:17:43,479 --> 00:17:46,231 the hot springs, the geysers, the falls. 417 00:17:46,232 --> 00:17:47,691 But it turns out to be a place 418 00:17:47,692 --> 00:17:49,276 that's not really that easy to visit 419 00:17:49,277 --> 00:17:51,988 and it's not getting as much attendance as was hoped. 420 00:17:53,364 --> 00:17:55,490 - [Henry] Yellowstone is looking like a flop. 421 00:17:55,491 --> 00:17:59,494 So in 1919, a national park service bigwig 422 00:17:59,495 --> 00:18:02,998 named Horace Albright has one big idea 423 00:18:02,999 --> 00:18:05,834 to breathe life into Yellowstone. 424 00:18:05,835 --> 00:18:07,043 - Horace Albright decides 425 00:18:07,044 --> 00:18:08,878 that the way to get crowds to Yellowstone 426 00:18:08,879 --> 00:18:10,505 is to give them a show. 427 00:18:10,506 --> 00:18:14,509 And the bears of Yellowstone are perfect to do just that. 428 00:18:14,510 --> 00:18:16,095 [bear whining] 429 00:18:16,262 --> 00:18:18,972 - [Martin] And so Albright's idea is to provide opportunities 430 00:18:18,973 --> 00:18:20,390 for people to feed the bears. 431 00:18:20,391 --> 00:18:22,183 So he creates feeding stations. 432 00:18:22,184 --> 00:18:24,561 People drive into the park, roll down their windows, 433 00:18:24,562 --> 00:18:28,273 and offer food out the window to the bears. 434 00:18:28,274 --> 00:18:29,983 And the bears love it. 435 00:18:29,984 --> 00:18:31,735 Even President Warren G. Harding 436 00:18:31,736 --> 00:18:34,362 and President Calvin Coolidge visit Yellowstone 437 00:18:34,363 --> 00:18:35,531 and feed the bears. 438 00:18:36,907 --> 00:18:39,117 - [Natalia] At first this seems like a win-win situation. 439 00:18:39,118 --> 00:18:40,619 Park attendants is way up, 440 00:18:40,620 --> 00:18:42,996 and of course the bears are getting fed. 441 00:18:42,997 --> 00:18:44,497 - [Martin] The problem is more and more garbage 442 00:18:44,498 --> 00:18:45,832 is being produced within the park, 443 00:18:45,833 --> 00:18:46,958 and the park administration 444 00:18:46,959 --> 00:18:48,460 needs to get rid of that garbage. 445 00:18:48,461 --> 00:18:51,630 And the bears will basically eat absolutely anything. 446 00:18:51,631 --> 00:18:54,382 So they decide to dump all of the park's garbage 447 00:18:54,383 --> 00:18:57,010 on a platform that the bears can approach. 448 00:18:57,011 --> 00:18:58,595 - [Don] They have this sign that says 449 00:18:58,596 --> 00:19:01,348 "Lunch Counter. For bears only." 450 00:19:01,349 --> 00:19:02,849 And then they build benches. 451 00:19:02,850 --> 00:19:04,309 So it creates a little stadium 452 00:19:04,310 --> 00:19:06,520 that people can watch just a few feet away. 453 00:19:07,605 --> 00:19:09,856 - [Henry] But everyone keeps forgetting 454 00:19:09,857 --> 00:19:12,735 they're quite literally feeding a beast. 455 00:19:13,778 --> 00:19:16,196 - The safety issue is quite serious. 456 00:19:16,197 --> 00:19:19,407 Grizzly bears at Yellowstone reach about 700 pounds. 457 00:19:19,408 --> 00:19:22,118 They're the apex predator in the park. 458 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:25,288 [bears whining] 459 00:19:25,289 --> 00:19:28,917 - [Lance] In 1930, a Texas woman feeds a bear a candy bar, 460 00:19:28,918 --> 00:19:32,629 and the bear says thank you by mauling her arm. 461 00:19:32,630 --> 00:19:34,631 From the 1930s to the 1960s, 462 00:19:34,632 --> 00:19:37,509 an average of 48 people per year 463 00:19:37,510 --> 00:19:39,720 are injured by the bears at Yellowstone. 464 00:19:40,888 --> 00:19:43,682 - [Don] Cars are attacked, tents are ripped open, 465 00:19:43,683 --> 00:19:46,518 campers get bitten and clawed. 466 00:19:46,519 --> 00:19:49,562 - [Henry] In 1967, the park is forced 467 00:19:49,563 --> 00:19:51,564 to face the increasing danger 468 00:19:51,565 --> 00:19:54,984 when bears killed two people at another national park, 469 00:19:54,985 --> 00:19:59,197 and the last thing Yellowstone wants is a repeat. 470 00:19:59,198 --> 00:20:01,658 - This is a huge wake-up call. 471 00:20:01,659 --> 00:20:03,410 So the rangers begin a program 472 00:20:03,411 --> 00:20:06,496 to return the bears to their natural feeding habits. 473 00:20:06,497 --> 00:20:08,707 Now, instead of bear lunch counter signs, 474 00:20:08,708 --> 00:20:11,335 you see signs that say "Don't feed the bears." 475 00:20:12,837 --> 00:20:16,381 - [Lance] So today the park is much safer, the bears are wild 476 00:20:16,382 --> 00:20:19,092 again, but it's also difficult to see a bear in Yellowstone. 477 00:20:19,093 --> 00:20:20,427 - [Martin] There's a part of me that knows 478 00:20:20,428 --> 00:20:22,387 that this was irresponsible stewardship 479 00:20:22,388 --> 00:20:23,722 of a natural resource. 480 00:20:23,723 --> 00:20:25,098 But then there's a part of me that would be like, 481 00:20:25,099 --> 00:20:26,933 "Oh yeah, baby, sign me up." 482 00:20:26,934 --> 00:20:29,311 I would love to have seen something like this. 483 00:20:31,772 --> 00:20:34,983 - So feeding bears didn't work out all that well. 484 00:20:34,984 --> 00:20:37,777 But some Americans looked at the situation and thought, 485 00:20:37,778 --> 00:20:40,780 "You know what would be even better? 486 00:20:40,781 --> 00:20:41,824 Fighting one." 487 00:20:43,534 --> 00:20:46,745 - For most of human history, if a man was wrestling a bear, 488 00:20:46,746 --> 00:20:49,998 it was not by choice, it was a matter of survival. 489 00:20:49,999 --> 00:20:53,918 And then it became a form of entertainment in the 1800s. 490 00:20:53,919 --> 00:20:55,628 [contemplative music] 491 00:20:55,629 --> 00:20:57,297 The very first sanctioned 492 00:20:57,298 --> 00:21:00,008 man versus bear wrestling match in America 493 00:21:00,009 --> 00:21:01,760 took place in 1877. 494 00:21:01,761 --> 00:21:04,512 Maybe you're picturing some backwoods venue, 495 00:21:04,513 --> 00:21:08,308 maybe in the woods or on some farms surrounded by hay bales. 496 00:21:08,309 --> 00:21:10,185 [dramatic thud] 497 00:21:10,186 --> 00:21:12,354 - This was on 13th Street in Manhattan. 498 00:21:14,523 --> 00:21:19,194 You could go into Manhattan and watch a bear fight a man. 499 00:21:19,195 --> 00:21:21,029 [perplexed music] 500 00:21:21,030 --> 00:21:24,491 - [Don] The place is a 300-seat auditorium in New York City 501 00:21:24,492 --> 00:21:26,534 with a tavern on the ground floor, 502 00:21:26,535 --> 00:21:29,537 - [Michele] And the man who ran the tavern actually had the idea 503 00:21:29,538 --> 00:21:32,333 to set up this event as a way to sell more beer. 504 00:21:33,709 --> 00:21:36,252 - [Henry] The beer-selling attraction is a success 505 00:21:36,253 --> 00:21:40,173 and some unlikely stars are born. 506 00:21:40,174 --> 00:21:41,466 - The funny thing 507 00:21:41,467 --> 00:21:44,928 about the man versus bear wrestling matches 508 00:21:44,929 --> 00:21:48,097 is that the bears are the ones who become famous. 509 00:21:48,098 --> 00:21:51,810 Lena and Martin, two of the bears, go out on tour 510 00:21:51,811 --> 00:21:54,395 fighting whoever will take them on. 511 00:21:54,396 --> 00:21:57,398 - [Henry] Now, surprisingly, Lena's fame would dim 512 00:21:57,399 --> 00:22:00,569 when she kills an opponent in 1878. 513 00:22:02,696 --> 00:22:05,657 Danger be damned, the matches don't lose steam. 514 00:22:05,658 --> 00:22:10,078 In fact, they gain mainstream attention. 515 00:22:10,079 --> 00:22:11,704 [unsettling music] 516 00:22:11,705 --> 00:22:15,750 - Gene DuBois, a Canadian wrestler, decided to buy a bear 517 00:22:15,751 --> 00:22:18,378 and take it on kind of a sideshow type of experience 518 00:22:18,379 --> 00:22:21,589 where he'd go to venues and he would wrestle this bear 519 00:22:21,590 --> 00:22:22,883 in front of crowds. 520 00:22:23,759 --> 00:22:24,968 [crowd cheering] 521 00:22:24,969 --> 00:22:26,761 - [Michele] His name was Terrible Ted. 522 00:22:26,762 --> 00:22:29,848 Gene DuBois took Terrible Ted around 523 00:22:29,849 --> 00:22:33,560 to wrestle famous wrestlers, including Rocky Johnson, 524 00:22:33,561 --> 00:22:35,436 who most people today would know better 525 00:22:35,437 --> 00:22:39,065 as the father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. 526 00:22:39,066 --> 00:22:42,694 - [Henry] While all this seems like the wild olden days, 527 00:22:42,695 --> 00:22:47,073 man versus bear matches are still happening in the 1980s. 528 00:22:47,074 --> 00:22:49,576 - If I can get down low on him, I'm gonna take him. 529 00:22:49,577 --> 00:22:51,160 I've got it in my blood, I'm gonna take him. 530 00:22:51,161 --> 00:22:53,663 - They're doing this at local bars. 531 00:22:53,664 --> 00:22:54,831 [crowd cheering] 532 00:22:54,832 --> 00:22:56,457 Even shopping malls. 533 00:22:56,458 --> 00:22:59,794 Imagine you're going into the mall just to buy some sneakers 534 00:22:59,795 --> 00:23:03,214 and you see a guy wrestling a bear. 535 00:23:03,215 --> 00:23:04,299 - [Crowd Member] Hit 'em in the head. 536 00:23:04,300 --> 00:23:06,384 [crowd cheering] 537 00:23:06,385 --> 00:23:08,303 - I remember when I was a kid 538 00:23:08,304 --> 00:23:10,388 seeing highlights of Chuck Wepner. 539 00:23:10,389 --> 00:23:11,890 Chuck Wepner was The Bayone Bleeder 540 00:23:11,891 --> 00:23:13,308 who fought Muhammad Ali. 541 00:23:13,309 --> 00:23:14,726 He inspired the "Rocky" movie. 542 00:23:14,727 --> 00:23:16,519 He ended up later in his career 543 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,938 just wrestling bears, fighting bears. 544 00:23:18,939 --> 00:23:20,565 - [Brian] In the end, these wrestling matches 545 00:23:20,566 --> 00:23:21,983 go away for safety reasons. 546 00:23:21,984 --> 00:23:24,986 But not for our safety, for the bear's safety. 547 00:23:24,987 --> 00:23:25,778 And that's not the way you thought 548 00:23:25,779 --> 00:23:27,573 that was gonna go at all. 549 00:23:28,198 --> 00:23:29,324 [crowd cheering] 550 00:23:29,325 --> 00:23:32,160 - One hundred years of man versus bear. 551 00:23:32,161 --> 00:23:34,871 The men got mauled, the bears got famous, 552 00:23:34,872 --> 00:23:37,082 and the audience, they got their money's worth. 553 00:23:39,793 --> 00:23:41,586 - Modern medicine owes a lot to animals. 554 00:23:41,587 --> 00:23:44,672 We use them to develop medications, test treatments, 555 00:23:44,673 --> 00:23:46,633 and even practice surgeries. 556 00:23:46,634 --> 00:23:49,969 But in the 1920s, a surgeon in Kansas 557 00:23:49,970 --> 00:23:52,597 took that concept in a direction nobody, 558 00:23:52,598 --> 00:23:55,892 and I mean nobody saw coming. 559 00:23:55,893 --> 00:23:57,810 [thrilling music] 560 00:23:57,811 --> 00:24:01,439 - In the 1800s, when people think of impotence, 561 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:05,652 they think of it as a depletion of sperm. 562 00:24:05,653 --> 00:24:09,364 Therefore, doctors will prescribe to not masturbate 563 00:24:09,365 --> 00:24:12,075 as that is a waste of your sperm 564 00:24:12,076 --> 00:24:14,911 and could yield more impotence. 565 00:24:14,912 --> 00:24:16,996 Furthermore, doctors will prescribe 566 00:24:16,997 --> 00:24:21,167 so-called cures like opium or bleeding or quinine. 567 00:24:21,168 --> 00:24:23,252 - [Henry] A doctor named John Brinkley 568 00:24:23,253 --> 00:24:26,631 comes up with a more permanent solution. 569 00:24:26,632 --> 00:24:29,676 - [Brian] Imagine you have a problem and you go to the 570 00:24:29,677 --> 00:24:32,387 doctor, and the doctor says, "I can help you. 571 00:24:32,388 --> 00:24:33,596 And the way I'm gonna do that 572 00:24:33,597 --> 00:24:35,932 is by slicing open your scrotum 573 00:24:35,933 --> 00:24:39,603 and putting like little nut-sized goat 574 00:24:40,980 --> 00:24:42,855 testicles inside of you." 575 00:24:42,856 --> 00:24:44,732 - [Steve] John Brinkley, who's supposed to be 576 00:24:44,733 --> 00:24:46,776 this super sophisticated doctor 577 00:24:46,777 --> 00:24:49,946 with this super star degree, 578 00:24:49,947 --> 00:24:53,908 he has this procedure to sew a goat's testicle 579 00:24:53,909 --> 00:24:55,952 into a man's scrotum. 580 00:24:55,953 --> 00:24:57,412 [pensive music] 581 00:24:57,413 --> 00:24:59,414 - [Austin] Brinkley assures his willing patient 582 00:24:59,415 --> 00:25:01,290 that the goat's sex gland 583 00:25:01,291 --> 00:25:05,837 will naturally bond with his organs and his blood vessels 584 00:25:05,838 --> 00:25:08,298 and become a functioning part of his body. 585 00:25:09,717 --> 00:25:11,509 - And so he gains a big, big following. 586 00:25:11,510 --> 00:25:14,679 People beat a path through his door for this procedure. 587 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:17,598 - [Henry] There is such a demand for Dr. Brinkley's services 588 00:25:17,599 --> 00:25:18,976 that he branches out. 589 00:25:20,561 --> 00:25:23,271 - He thinks what's good for the goose 590 00:25:23,272 --> 00:25:24,856 must be good for the gander. 591 00:25:24,857 --> 00:25:26,733 So he comes up with a brilliant idea 592 00:25:26,734 --> 00:25:31,112 of transplanting goat ovaries into female patients 593 00:25:31,113 --> 00:25:34,241 to help them deal with their pregnancy issues. 594 00:25:35,617 --> 00:25:37,952 - [Steve] People were so desperate to fix these problems. 595 00:25:37,953 --> 00:25:41,956 Brinkley was charging people $750 a procedure, 596 00:25:41,957 --> 00:25:44,459 which is $12,000 in today's money. 597 00:25:44,460 --> 00:25:46,002 - [Henry] Despite the price, 598 00:25:46,003 --> 00:25:48,921 thousands are flocking to his clinic for a cure, 599 00:25:48,922 --> 00:25:53,092 and it raises suspicion at the American Medical Association. 600 00:25:53,093 --> 00:25:54,719 - [Austin] Morris Fishbein, the editor 601 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,430 of the Journal of the American Medical Association, 602 00:25:57,431 --> 00:26:00,349 soon wages a personal and medical crusade 603 00:26:00,350 --> 00:26:03,519 against Dr. Brinkley as a fraud. 604 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,522 - Turns out that, quote, "Dr. John Brinkley" 605 00:26:06,523 --> 00:26:08,149 isn't even a real doctor. 606 00:26:08,150 --> 00:26:10,735 His degree is from a sham university. 607 00:26:10,736 --> 00:26:12,987 Goat transplants are bad enough, 608 00:26:12,988 --> 00:26:15,907 but dude isn't even a trained surgeon. 609 00:26:15,908 --> 00:26:17,909 He's just out here wildin', 610 00:26:17,910 --> 00:26:21,454 slicing through scrotums, ruining people's lives. 611 00:26:21,455 --> 00:26:24,415 - Any success story reported by Dr. Brinkley's patients 612 00:26:24,416 --> 00:26:26,667 is likely due to the placebo effect. 613 00:26:26,668 --> 00:26:28,586 It's basically a mind trick. 614 00:26:28,587 --> 00:26:30,046 They were not really cured but they 615 00:26:30,047 --> 00:26:32,966 led themselves to believe that they had been cured. 616 00:26:33,967 --> 00:26:35,551 - [Hakeem] Think about it. 617 00:26:35,552 --> 00:26:39,055 Who's gonna come forward in the 1920s, or even today, 618 00:26:39,056 --> 00:26:41,724 and say that their goat testicle implants 619 00:26:41,725 --> 00:26:44,268 designed to treat impotency didn't work 620 00:26:44,269 --> 00:26:45,729 and so now they want a refund? 621 00:26:46,730 --> 00:26:47,939 No one. 622 00:26:47,940 --> 00:26:50,942 - Goat and implant are two words 623 00:26:50,943 --> 00:26:54,946 you do not wanna hear in the same sentence from your doctor. 624 00:26:54,947 --> 00:26:58,157 But what do the words butterfly, chloroform, 625 00:26:58,158 --> 00:27:00,201 and cyanide mean to you? 626 00:27:00,202 --> 00:27:02,995 Believe it or not, to the kids of the 1950s, 627 00:27:02,996 --> 00:27:06,833 it meant the most wholesome hobby you can imagine. 628 00:27:06,834 --> 00:27:10,795 - [Natalia] In 1951, Alexander B. Klots releases this book, 629 00:27:10,796 --> 00:27:13,047 "A Field Guide to the Butterflies," 630 00:27:13,048 --> 00:27:15,466 which becomes the bible for butterfly collectors 631 00:27:15,467 --> 00:27:16,884 around the country. 632 00:27:16,885 --> 00:27:20,596 - [Austin] America is suddenly crazy for butterflies. 633 00:27:20,597 --> 00:27:24,100 Clubs spring up, schools send kids out 634 00:27:24,101 --> 00:27:25,893 into fields with nets, 635 00:27:25,894 --> 00:27:28,354 seeing what butterflies they come up with. 636 00:27:28,355 --> 00:27:31,399 It's a huge craze and it's everywhere. 637 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:32,984 - [Natalia] The butterflies are beautiful. 638 00:27:32,985 --> 00:27:34,986 But if you really wanna collect them, 639 00:27:34,987 --> 00:27:36,237 [fingers snapping] 640 00:27:36,238 --> 00:27:37,322 you have to kill them. 641 00:27:38,657 --> 00:27:41,576 - [Austin] Butterflies are very delicate. 642 00:27:41,577 --> 00:27:43,744 Their wings are paper thin. 643 00:27:43,745 --> 00:27:48,583 So killing a butterfly by force will wreck your specimen. 644 00:27:48,584 --> 00:27:52,420 - [Adam] Killing something without profound overt physical 645 00:27:52,421 --> 00:27:56,841 damage has long met the use of one thing in particular, poison. 646 00:27:56,842 --> 00:27:59,803 With cyanide being at the top of that list. 647 00:28:01,346 --> 00:28:04,307 Cyanide is what they famously put in the flavor aid punch 648 00:28:04,308 --> 00:28:06,184 at Jonestown to kill everybody. 649 00:28:07,686 --> 00:28:10,938 - [Lance] Cyanide, for as deadly as it is, was crazy easy to get. 650 00:28:10,939 --> 00:28:12,899 You can order it, mail order it, 651 00:28:12,900 --> 00:28:14,984 you can get it out of a science catalog. 652 00:28:14,985 --> 00:28:16,777 - [Henry] And kids can take it right out 653 00:28:16,778 --> 00:28:18,571 of their own chemistry sets. 654 00:28:18,572 --> 00:28:21,490 - [Natalia] Kitchen tables turn into these little science labs, 655 00:28:21,491 --> 00:28:25,411 and kids set them up with their wax paper, with their pins, 656 00:28:25,412 --> 00:28:27,623 and of course with their killing jar. 657 00:28:28,874 --> 00:28:30,166 - [Lance] Everybody that's collecting butterflies 658 00:28:30,167 --> 00:28:31,500 has their killing jar. 659 00:28:31,501 --> 00:28:33,252 And you just take a standard glass jar, 660 00:28:33,253 --> 00:28:35,129 you dump in a few cyanide pellets, 661 00:28:35,130 --> 00:28:36,631 you screw the lid on top. 662 00:28:36,632 --> 00:28:38,841 And so you have a perfect specimen every time. 663 00:28:38,842 --> 00:28:40,176 No big deal. 664 00:28:40,177 --> 00:28:41,469 - [Austin] It's not like people don't know 665 00:28:41,470 --> 00:28:43,179 that this stuff is dangerous. 666 00:28:43,180 --> 00:28:44,972 It's been proven for decades. 667 00:28:44,973 --> 00:28:49,185 In 1923, a collector Martin A. Meyer was found dead 668 00:28:49,186 --> 00:28:50,811 next to his killing jar. 669 00:28:50,812 --> 00:28:52,855 People know this is toxic stuff, 670 00:28:52,856 --> 00:28:55,066 but they're still using this chemical. 671 00:28:55,067 --> 00:28:57,068 - Now, this breaks my brain a little bit 672 00:28:57,069 --> 00:29:00,196 because at some point hobbyists say, 673 00:29:00,197 --> 00:29:01,697 "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. 674 00:29:01,698 --> 00:29:06,744 We can't give cyanide poison to children. 675 00:29:06,745 --> 00:29:09,789 We need to find a safer alternative. 676 00:29:09,790 --> 00:29:12,083 What chemical should we give children 677 00:29:12,084 --> 00:29:14,460 to use for their hobby?" 678 00:29:14,461 --> 00:29:18,214 - [Negin] Eventually they ended up substituting chloroform. 679 00:29:18,215 --> 00:29:19,423 [intriguing music] 680 00:29:19,424 --> 00:29:21,217 Just so you know what chloroform is, 681 00:29:21,218 --> 00:29:24,095 it's that thing you see a lot in, like, spy movies 682 00:29:24,096 --> 00:29:25,930 where they put it on someone, they breathe it, 683 00:29:25,931 --> 00:29:27,765 and they immediately, like, collapse. 684 00:29:27,766 --> 00:29:29,518 That's chloroform. 685 00:29:30,727 --> 00:29:33,562 And in the 1950s, it's just kind of like 686 00:29:33,563 --> 00:29:35,648 readily available to you. 687 00:29:35,649 --> 00:29:38,275 - [Natalia] The movies make chloroform look like melatonin, 688 00:29:38,276 --> 00:29:39,486 but it is not that. 689 00:29:39,987 --> 00:29:44,699 - [Adam] In real life, chloroform creates respiratory 690 00:29:44,700 --> 00:29:48,703 failure, cardiac arrest, kidney damage, liver damage, 691 00:29:48,704 --> 00:29:52,415 and, oh, what's that called, death. 692 00:29:52,416 --> 00:29:55,876 - [Natalia] In 1960, the Federal Hazardous Substances 693 00:29:55,877 --> 00:29:57,628 Labeling Act draws a line. 694 00:29:57,629 --> 00:29:59,255 Anything with a serious toxin in it 695 00:29:59,256 --> 00:30:02,133 has to carry a label that says "Danger Poison." 696 00:30:02,134 --> 00:30:05,052 And it's prohibited from being sold to children. 697 00:30:05,053 --> 00:30:09,181 - By the 1960s, schools and clubs moved to new ways 698 00:30:09,182 --> 00:30:11,934 of asphyxiating your butterflies. 699 00:30:11,935 --> 00:30:17,065 Ethyl acetate jars, short freezing, carbon dioxide. 700 00:30:17,357 --> 00:30:21,444 All of these new methods are way safer for the kids. 701 00:30:21,445 --> 00:30:23,696 For the butterflies, though, not so much. 702 00:30:23,697 --> 00:30:27,074 [quirky music] 703 00:30:27,075 --> 00:30:28,701 - Cyanide on the kitchen table 704 00:30:28,702 --> 00:30:30,286 right next to the peanut butter, 705 00:30:30,287 --> 00:30:31,955 the '50s were somethin' else. 706 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,126 - There are a lot of things kids can do with a goldfish. 707 00:30:37,127 --> 00:30:39,795 Feed it, watch it, name it. 708 00:30:39,796 --> 00:30:42,757 Well, in 1939, a Harvard student 709 00:30:42,758 --> 00:30:45,343 came up with one more, eat it. 710 00:30:46,595 --> 00:30:48,637 - [Adam] It's March of 1939, 711 00:30:48,638 --> 00:30:50,723 and there is a freshman at Harvard University 712 00:30:50,724 --> 00:30:52,058 in Cambridge, Massachusetts 713 00:30:52,059 --> 00:30:54,727 by the name of Lothrop Withington. 714 00:30:54,728 --> 00:30:57,688 He tells his friends that he is going to swallow 715 00:30:57,689 --> 00:30:59,940 a live goldfish. 716 00:30:59,941 --> 00:31:02,568 - [Austin] His friends laugh, they don't believe him, 717 00:31:02,569 --> 00:31:04,820 and they plunk down a $10 bet, 718 00:31:04,821 --> 00:31:07,364 that's $200 in today's money, 719 00:31:07,365 --> 00:31:10,993 saying, "No way, Lothrop, you're not gonna do this." 720 00:31:10,994 --> 00:31:12,787 - And so he picks up a goldfish 721 00:31:12,788 --> 00:31:15,456 and kinda wriggles it around in front of his face. 722 00:31:15,457 --> 00:31:17,917 - [Adam] He holds it over his mouth. 723 00:31:17,918 --> 00:31:21,045 It rides back and forth once or twice, 724 00:31:21,046 --> 00:31:23,881 and then he drops it in. 725 00:31:23,882 --> 00:31:25,758 Swallows it. 726 00:31:25,759 --> 00:31:27,093 [speaker gulps] 727 00:31:27,094 --> 00:31:28,761 - [Henry] With that one gulp, 728 00:31:28,762 --> 00:31:32,681 the biggest craze since dance marathons is born. 729 00:31:32,682 --> 00:31:34,850 - The craze spreads to other schools. 730 00:31:34,851 --> 00:31:37,770 But now it's not just, "Can you swallow a goldfish," 731 00:31:37,771 --> 00:31:41,065 it's, "How many goldfish can you swallow?" 732 00:31:41,066 --> 00:31:43,651 Just around the corner at MIT, 733 00:31:43,652 --> 00:31:46,654 one student reportedly swallows 29. 734 00:31:46,655 --> 00:31:50,616 At rival Ivy League Penn, they swallow 42. 735 00:31:50,617 --> 00:31:55,372 The record allegedly is 89 goldfish in one sitting. 736 00:31:57,165 --> 00:31:58,999 - [Henry] But as anyone who has rolled the dice 737 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:01,043 on sketchy sushi can tell you, 738 00:32:01,044 --> 00:32:04,131 raw fish sometimes bites back. 739 00:32:05,382 --> 00:32:08,509 - The safety issues around goldfish swallowing, 740 00:32:08,510 --> 00:32:10,719 I think, are pretty clear. 741 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:13,055 - [Kavitha] Trying to quickly swallow 89 of anything, 742 00:32:13,056 --> 00:32:14,640 is really not a good idea, 743 00:32:14,641 --> 00:32:17,893 let alone a live goldfish that's flopping around. 744 00:32:17,894 --> 00:32:20,646 It could cause you to choke if it gets stuck in your throat 745 00:32:20,647 --> 00:32:23,649 or can cut off your airway if you accidentally inhale it. 746 00:32:23,650 --> 00:32:27,320 So goldfish are really not meant for mass consumption. 747 00:32:28,738 --> 00:32:31,198 - [Austin] Things get so bad the US Public Health Service steps 748 00:32:31,199 --> 00:32:32,741 in and warns everyone. 749 00:32:32,742 --> 00:32:35,327 Goldfish have tapeworms. 750 00:32:35,328 --> 00:32:38,206 Tapeworms are going to give you anemia. 751 00:32:39,457 --> 00:32:41,125 - [Henry] The only people who don't seem concerned 752 00:32:41,126 --> 00:32:43,502 are the colleges themselves. 753 00:32:43,503 --> 00:32:44,962 - [Adam] What's crazier is that some 754 00:32:44,963 --> 00:32:46,672 of the goldfish swallowing events 755 00:32:46,673 --> 00:32:49,259 are actually campus sanctioned. 756 00:32:50,468 --> 00:32:52,386 - [Lance] It's news. They're in Life magazine. 757 00:32:52,387 --> 00:32:54,763 Why wouldn't you swallow goldfish 758 00:32:54,764 --> 00:32:56,390 to get into Life magazine? 759 00:32:56,391 --> 00:32:58,976 So no one's putting the brakes on this. 760 00:32:58,977 --> 00:33:01,687 - [Negin] In one particular case at MIT, 761 00:33:01,688 --> 00:33:04,857 a hundred kids come to watch it and three policemen, 762 00:33:04,858 --> 00:33:07,526 not to break it up, but to actually enjoy 763 00:33:07,527 --> 00:33:09,779 the spectacle of goldfish eating. 764 00:33:11,239 --> 00:33:14,325 - [Henry] But once a craze draws big crowds and the cops, 765 00:33:14,326 --> 00:33:17,662 the next thing it draws is serious scrutiny. 766 00:33:19,122 --> 00:33:21,332 - [Austin] In April 1939, a member of the Massachusetts 767 00:33:21,333 --> 00:33:27,087 legislature introduces a bill to protect and preserve fish 768 00:33:27,088 --> 00:33:29,925 from cruel and wanton consumption. 769 00:33:31,301 --> 00:33:34,428 - [Henry] But what really kills goldfish swallowing is time. 770 00:33:34,429 --> 00:33:37,640 Like all fans, it simply runs its course. 771 00:33:37,641 --> 00:33:40,434 - [Lance] Years later, they track down Lothrop Withington, 772 00:33:40,435 --> 00:33:42,144 and now he's a successful businessman 773 00:33:42,145 --> 00:33:45,356 who apparently is not swallowing live animals anymore, 774 00:33:45,357 --> 00:33:48,651 and he said that it was a case of mind over matter. 775 00:33:48,652 --> 00:33:51,196 He didn't mind, and that fish didn't matter. 776 00:33:53,156 --> 00:33:56,492 - There was a time when the scariest thing in your mailbox 777 00:33:56,493 --> 00:33:58,369 wasn't your credit card bill. 778 00:33:58,370 --> 00:34:00,830 It was something with actual teeth. 779 00:34:01,831 --> 00:34:03,123 - [Edward] The golden age of the comic book 780 00:34:03,124 --> 00:34:05,417 is the 1930s, '40s and '50s. 781 00:34:05,418 --> 00:34:09,129 This is where America is introduced to superheroes 782 00:34:09,130 --> 00:34:12,966 like Captain America, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman. 783 00:34:12,967 --> 00:34:14,802 - One of the most iconic elements 784 00:34:14,803 --> 00:34:16,928 of classic comic books of the time 785 00:34:16,929 --> 00:34:19,682 are really these over-the-top ads. 786 00:34:19,683 --> 00:34:21,767 You know, you can order things like X-ray specs, 787 00:34:21,768 --> 00:34:26,605 whoopee cushions, and even live pets. 788 00:34:26,606 --> 00:34:30,109 - [Natalia] For 1895, a company in Miami Beach, Florida 789 00:34:30,110 --> 00:34:33,904 will send you a real live squirrel monkey in the mail. 790 00:34:33,905 --> 00:34:36,073 - [Edward] A monkey coming through the mail 791 00:34:36,074 --> 00:34:39,076 with no real instructions about its care, its food. 792 00:34:39,077 --> 00:34:41,745 It says actually that they can eat anything you eat, 793 00:34:41,746 --> 00:34:44,122 and also they love lollipops, 794 00:34:44,123 --> 00:34:46,375 which probably don't exist in the jungles 795 00:34:46,376 --> 00:34:48,002 from which they come. 796 00:34:48,003 --> 00:34:50,129 - [Natalia] Most customers think they're getting a cute, 797 00:34:50,130 --> 00:34:51,714 furry little creature. 798 00:34:51,715 --> 00:34:54,174 They are completely unprepared for what they're getting 799 00:34:54,175 --> 00:34:55,885 and what the challenges will be. 800 00:34:57,178 --> 00:35:00,973 - [Jason] Squirrel monkeys require an insane level of care. 801 00:35:00,974 --> 00:35:04,059 And two common squirrel monkey traits, 802 00:35:04,060 --> 00:35:07,813 throwing feces and frequent masturbation. 803 00:35:07,814 --> 00:35:09,440 [quirky music] 804 00:35:09,441 --> 00:35:12,234 - [Henry] But still squirrel monkey fever 805 00:35:12,235 --> 00:35:16,697 sweeps over the United States in the '60s and '70s. 806 00:35:16,698 --> 00:35:19,867 - [Edward] As many as 173,000 squirrel monkeys 807 00:35:19,868 --> 00:35:21,785 are imported from Peru and Colombia 808 00:35:21,786 --> 00:35:23,038 during this time period. 809 00:35:23,913 --> 00:35:25,497 - [Natalia] This would never happen today. 810 00:35:25,498 --> 00:35:27,958 There are so many regulations about sending 811 00:35:27,959 --> 00:35:29,877 live animals through the mail. 812 00:35:29,878 --> 00:35:31,253 [monkey chittering] 813 00:35:31,254 --> 00:35:35,299 - When they arrive, they're hungry, they're angry. 814 00:35:35,300 --> 00:35:37,676 - You'd open the box and that monkey would jump out 815 00:35:37,677 --> 00:35:39,888 and bite the first person it sees. 816 00:35:40,930 --> 00:35:43,015 - [Negin] And there's just reports about, 817 00:35:43,016 --> 00:35:45,684 you know, someone's aunt gettin' bitten, 818 00:35:45,685 --> 00:35:49,563 a kid getting bitten, just like it's nuts. 819 00:35:49,564 --> 00:35:51,982 - [Jason] It's probably no surprise that by the late '70s 820 00:35:51,983 --> 00:35:55,694 the ads for live monkeys, they disappear from comic books. 821 00:35:55,695 --> 00:35:59,074 I can't imagine there were too many repeat customers. 822 00:35:59,866 --> 00:36:01,575 [monkey chittering] 823 00:36:01,576 --> 00:36:06,664 - 173,000 monkeys made the trip through the US mail 824 00:36:06,665 --> 00:36:09,000 and lived to throw feces another day. 825 00:36:12,087 --> 00:36:13,004 - Imagine a petting zoo. 826 00:36:13,546 --> 00:36:16,882 Now, replace every animal in it with an alligator. 827 00:36:16,883 --> 00:36:18,759 Well, that's exactly what one man did, 828 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,680 and it went about as well as you'd expect. 829 00:36:23,973 --> 00:36:25,516 - [Dan] In the early 1900s, 830 00:36:25,517 --> 00:36:27,059 there are these three forms of public attractions 831 00:36:27,060 --> 00:36:31,647 that are becoming huge: zoos, circuses, and amusement parks. 832 00:36:31,648 --> 00:36:34,234 People are lining up like crazy for 'em. 833 00:36:35,485 --> 00:36:36,985 - [Henry] That's when a man named Hubert Campbell 834 00:36:36,986 --> 00:36:39,363 decides that he can get rich 835 00:36:39,364 --> 00:36:43,201 by combining all three into one attraction. 836 00:36:44,285 --> 00:36:46,495 - Hubert Campbell is a man on a mission. 837 00:36:46,496 --> 00:36:48,872 He wants a visitor attraction 838 00:36:48,873 --> 00:36:51,500 that has the feel of a nature preserve, 839 00:36:51,501 --> 00:36:55,754 sort of an interactive zoo, and he hits on it. 840 00:36:55,755 --> 00:36:58,674 He's gonna open an alligator park. 841 00:36:58,675 --> 00:37:00,050 - This guy's an out there character. 842 00:37:00,051 --> 00:37:03,470 He used to perform in the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. 843 00:37:03,471 --> 00:37:06,974 He has a lifelong passion for large reptiles, 844 00:37:06,975 --> 00:37:10,311 and he's even earned the nickname Alligator Joe. 845 00:37:11,646 --> 00:37:13,856 - [Jason] So he gets a business partner named Francis Earnest, 846 00:37:13,857 --> 00:37:16,817 and together they decide to bring alligators 847 00:37:16,818 --> 00:37:18,444 to Southern California. 848 00:37:18,445 --> 00:37:22,072 They start the Los Angeles alligator farm. 849 00:37:22,073 --> 00:37:23,949 - [Henry] Admission is a quarter. 850 00:37:23,950 --> 00:37:25,492 And for that low price, 851 00:37:25,493 --> 00:37:28,996 visitors enter a world of reptilian wonder. 852 00:37:28,997 --> 00:37:30,914 - [Jason] This is not some little sideshow attraction 853 00:37:30,915 --> 00:37:34,042 where there's one alligator or two, or even 20. 854 00:37:34,043 --> 00:37:36,211 This is alligator nation. 855 00:37:36,212 --> 00:37:38,922 - [Austin] They bring in 1,000 alligators, 856 00:37:38,923 --> 00:37:43,218 who just roam freely through this barely contained park, 857 00:37:43,219 --> 00:37:46,722 in the center of a residential LA neighborhood. 858 00:37:46,723 --> 00:37:50,517 It's like Jurassic Park with worse fences. 859 00:37:50,518 --> 00:37:53,937 - [Adam] Now, contrary to what you might be thinking, 860 00:37:53,938 --> 00:37:56,774 gators are not super trainable. 861 00:37:56,775 --> 00:38:01,445 But somehow Alligator Joe works his Alligator Joe magic, 862 00:38:01,446 --> 00:38:04,448 and he has them doing little tricks and stunts, 863 00:38:04,449 --> 00:38:07,326 including going down water slides. 864 00:38:07,327 --> 00:38:08,577 - [Jason] Which is pretty remarkable 865 00:38:08,578 --> 00:38:09,578 when you think some of these alligators 866 00:38:09,579 --> 00:38:11,330 are like 15 feet long. 867 00:38:11,331 --> 00:38:13,332 They even have shows where you can watch 868 00:38:13,333 --> 00:38:16,043 some of their trainers wrestling with the alligators. 869 00:38:16,044 --> 00:38:18,796 You put that on a billboard, 870 00:38:18,797 --> 00:38:21,298 yeah, that's gonna get people to come. 871 00:38:21,299 --> 00:38:24,009 - [Natalia] The farm even lets you handle baby alligators. 872 00:38:24,010 --> 00:38:25,969 This is where Joe is really onto something. 873 00:38:25,970 --> 00:38:29,556 He's creating his own lane and people love it. 874 00:38:29,557 --> 00:38:33,101 - [Adam] Families can just mingle with the animals, 875 00:38:33,102 --> 00:38:36,688 pose freely with no barriers between them 876 00:38:36,689 --> 00:38:39,775 and one of nature's most efficient, ruthless, 877 00:38:39,776 --> 00:38:41,486 and deadly predators. 878 00:38:41,611 --> 00:38:44,780 - [Natalia] Parents are placing toddlers on alligators for photo 879 00:38:44,781 --> 00:38:48,033 ops and other kids are riding them. 880 00:38:48,034 --> 00:38:51,036 - [Brian] As a kid, I would love to see the alligators, 881 00:38:51,037 --> 00:38:54,164 but I really would like a fence. 882 00:38:54,165 --> 00:38:55,791 - [Natalia] The gift shop even sells baby alligators 883 00:38:55,792 --> 00:38:57,084 to take home. 884 00:38:57,085 --> 00:38:58,669 They tell parents, "Don't worry. 885 00:38:58,670 --> 00:39:00,671 When they get too big or bity, 886 00:39:00,672 --> 00:39:02,840 you can come back and trade them in for a smaller one." 887 00:39:02,841 --> 00:39:04,675 It's unreal to imagine. 888 00:39:04,676 --> 00:39:05,843 - [Lance] Normally when you go to the zoo, 889 00:39:05,844 --> 00:39:08,095 you might get a stuffed animal as a souvenir 890 00:39:08,096 --> 00:39:10,681 to remind you of the animals that you saw at the zoo. 891 00:39:10,682 --> 00:39:13,559 You don't usually get to take home a live animal 892 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:15,227 to keep in your bathtub. 893 00:39:15,228 --> 00:39:16,728 - [Natalia] There's also this educational angle to the 894 00:39:16,729 --> 00:39:19,022 alligator farm. 895 00:39:19,023 --> 00:39:22,067 You can go see, like, the eggs in incubators. 896 00:39:22,068 --> 00:39:23,861 You can see them being hatched. 897 00:39:23,862 --> 00:39:26,738 - [Adam] There's even sort of a gator ER 898 00:39:26,739 --> 00:39:30,200 where they can see gators recovering from injuries, 899 00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:31,577 which are pretty frequent 900 00:39:31,578 --> 00:39:35,706 because alligators are wildly territorial. 901 00:39:35,707 --> 00:39:37,250 [alligator growls] 902 00:39:37,417 --> 00:39:38,208 - [Natalia] Some of those injuries were incredibly brutal. 903 00:39:38,209 --> 00:39:39,543 Because when they fight, 904 00:39:39,544 --> 00:39:41,712 they're taking chunks out of each other. 905 00:39:41,713 --> 00:39:44,923 - [Adam] Surprisingly enough, the barriers around the park 906 00:39:44,924 --> 00:39:48,343 are so shoddy that alligators are escaping. 907 00:39:48,344 --> 00:39:51,305 And alligators are being found in people's pools 908 00:39:51,306 --> 00:39:54,016 and backyards all the time. 909 00:39:54,017 --> 00:39:56,810 - [Henry] Yet for decades, no one seems to bat an eye 910 00:39:56,811 --> 00:40:01,356 at this hoard of apex predators in the middle of LA. 911 00:40:01,357 --> 00:40:05,068 But eventually disaster strikes. 912 00:40:05,069 --> 00:40:08,906 - [Don] In 1925, Francis Earnest's seven-year-old son 913 00:40:08,907 --> 00:40:10,407 climbs into the enclosure. 914 00:40:10,408 --> 00:40:12,075 One of those gators leaps up 915 00:40:12,076 --> 00:40:14,453 and grabs Francis Jr. by the hand. 916 00:40:14,454 --> 00:40:17,873 It takes his uncle gouging out the eyes of that gator 917 00:40:17,874 --> 00:40:19,583 to finally get the mouth to open. 918 00:40:19,584 --> 00:40:23,378 By some miracle, Francis Jr. survives this attack. 919 00:40:23,379 --> 00:40:26,882 But no one's calling for the gator farm to be shut down. 920 00:40:26,883 --> 00:40:29,635 - [Henry] Eventually, Alligator Joe's attraction 921 00:40:29,636 --> 00:40:33,889 falls victim not to lawsuits or bad press, 922 00:40:33,890 --> 00:40:35,933 but annoyed neighbors. 923 00:40:35,934 --> 00:40:38,226 - In the 1950s, this part of LA 924 00:40:38,227 --> 00:40:40,938 starts becoming more densely populated 925 00:40:40,939 --> 00:40:43,523 and people have had it with the park. 926 00:40:43,524 --> 00:40:46,485 They're sick of alligators roaming the neighborhood. 927 00:40:46,486 --> 00:40:48,904 - [Dan] Today, alligator farms do still exist. 928 00:40:48,905 --> 00:40:51,281 And you can still hold baby alligators, 929 00:40:51,282 --> 00:40:53,450 but toddlers are not allowed to ride them, 930 00:40:53,451 --> 00:40:56,579 and you definitely can't take one home with you. 931 00:40:58,915 --> 00:41:01,708 - Looking back on our relationship with animals, 932 00:41:01,709 --> 00:41:04,753 whether it was riding ostriches, wrestling bears, 933 00:41:04,754 --> 00:41:07,756 or even cuddling up to a pet skunk, 934 00:41:07,757 --> 00:41:11,259 sometimes we got a little too close for comfort. 935 00:41:11,260 --> 00:41:12,552 But without them, 936 00:41:12,553 --> 00:41:15,722 our hazardous history wouldn't be as wild. 937 00:41:15,723 --> 00:41:16,933 [dramatic music fades]