The real life Tarzan and Jane: Couple who met in an animal park spend their lives traveling the world together and swimming with wild crocodiles and alligators

  • Chris Gillette, 27, and Ashley Lawrence, 28, from Florida are world leading experts on the reptiles
  • They met four years ago when he worked with alligators and she ran a tiger show at an animal park 
  • He wooed her by wearing a snorkel and mask to her show and the couple now travel the world together and swim with wild alligators and crocs
  • They also work to educate people about the amazing creatures  

By James Dunn For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

This couple take risky relationships to a new extreme, working with and even swimming with wild alligators and crocodiles. 

Chris Gillette, 27, and Ashley Lawrence, 28, from Florida, met four years ago when he was running an alligator display at the same animal park where she ran a tiger show.

To catch her attention, Chris would turn up to her shows wearing a snorkel and mask, and it worked.

Now the couple are world-leading experts in alligators and crocodiles, working together to educate people about them, and even share their love of swimming with the wild reptiles.

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Shared passion: The couple are world-leading experts in alligators and crocodiles, working together to educate people about them

Shared passion: The couple are world-leading experts in alligators and crocodiles, working together to educate people about them

Never smile at a crocodile: Chris is from Florida, where alligators are just part of the neighborhood, and he admits there are risks

Never smile at a crocodile: Chris is from Florida, where alligators are just part of the neighborhood, and he admits there are risks

Walking with dinosaurs: Chris has swum with crocodiles as big as 16 foot long

Walking with dinosaurs: Chris has swum with crocodiles as big as 16 foot long

Open wide: The couple use their knowledge to work to educate people about crocodiles and alligators

Open wide: The couple use their knowledge to work to educate people about crocodiles and alligators

Ashley said: 'Being a couple in this profession is great as it gives you someone to share the experiences with and relate to.

'There is a very small pool of people you can relate your day with and have an enriching discussion with when talking about how to swim with alligators, and I am glad I can look to my partner for this.'

Chris says that growing up in Florida, alligators are just part of the neighborhood. He has been swimming with some as large as 16-foot long.

Even he admits there are risks, but despite witnessing some nasty accidents, he wouldn't want to do anything else. 

He said: 'I do draw many comparisons from the public to Crocodile Dundee, Tarzan, and Steve Irwin, but at the end of the day I have to say that I am just me and I do what makes me happy working with animals I love.

'I very rarely have any accidents working with wildlife but do occasionally have what you would call "close shaves".

'Near misses happen, but I feel very fortunate to be in the shape I am. I have a few scars here and there but feel extremely fortunate I have never had a bad accident, but two of my friends and co-workers have.

'One had his bicep ripped off and eaten by an alligator, he was three minutes from bleeding to death when they got him to the hospital, another friend had his arm snapped and twisted where his hand was facing the wrong direction.

'So is it dangerous? Well, yes of course, people do get killed and eaten by some of the species I work with, but the most statistically dangerous part of my day is probably the drive to and from work.

'In my photography you can see most of my photos are taken in the wild with alligators and crocs I had never seen before that day, whether these be wild alligators in Florida, wild crocs in Mexico and Costa Rica, or wild caiman in the Amazon.'

'I swam with wild crocs and alligators in the Florida Everglades, Costa Rica, Peru, and several captive facilities throughout south Florida including a 16-foot saltwater crocodile I used to hand feed.'

G'day mate: Chris admits that he draws many comparisons from the public to Crocodile Dundee, Tarzan, and Steve Irwin

G'day mate: Chris admits that he draws many comparisons from the public to Crocodile Dundee, Tarzan, and Steve Irwin

Holding her own: Ashley says she enjoys her role as a woman working with dangerous animals, showing that it's about knowledge and understanding, not just being a physically strong man

Holding her own: Ashley says she enjoys her role as a woman working with dangerous animals, showing that it's about knowledge and understanding, not just being a physically strong man

Must be love: Chris would go and sit in Ashley's tiger shows wearing a full wetsuit, mask and snorkel to try and get her attention

Must be love: Chris would go and sit in Ashley's tiger shows wearing a full wetsuit, mask and snorkel to try and get her attention

Ashley is fascinated by the reptiles but also enjoys the unique role she has as a woman in the profession.

She added: 'I love swimming with these amazing beasts and especially my role as a woman working with dangerous animals.

'I am able to show that it is truly about knowledge and understanding the wildlife, not just being a physically strong man.'

Chris' amazing understanding of the reptiles means as well as alligator wrestling he also works as an environmental consultant for media and filming, professional photographer, writer, tour guide, lecturer and researcher.

He said: 'Many people see me as just the Tarzan type but I actually have a bachelors degree in environmental studies from Florida International University and actively work in research with multiple publications in various academic journals, as well as being a guest lecturer at my alma mater every semester.

'My female counterpart is Ashley, my girlfriend of the last four years. We met when we both worked at the same park, she did the tiger show at the park and I did an underwater alligator show.

'After my underwater alligator show I would go sit in her tiger shows wearing my full wetsuit, mask and snorkel to try and get her attention, and it worked.

Expert: Chris has a bachelors degree in environmental studies from Florida International University

Expert: Chris has a bachelors degree in environmental studies from Florida International University

Skilled: Chris says that most people think his way with alligators is a trick but it's actually down to skill. That's how Chris has been able to get so close to them in the wild, as well as in captivity

Skilled: Chris says that most people think his way with alligators is a trick but it's actually down to skill. That's how Chris has been able to get so close to them in the wild, as well as in captivity

'Fast forward a little and I had taught her how to handle gators and snakes and we were traveling the world together.'

Ashley and Chris use their experience of reptiles to get in the water with specimens that could be potentially be deadly.

Chris said: 'There is a huge misconception I find that the general public has when they see a skilled individual interacting with a dangerous animal.

'People often make the assumption "oh, that gator must be tame, or there is some sort of trick that lets him do that".

'Working in show business many years I see the common public opinion is to not be impressed that someone is doing something amazing, but to try and find the 'trick' that allows him or her to do it instead of thinking this must be a skilled person who has dedicated their life to their trade.

'I can assure you there is no trick, my ability to interact with these animals is the consequence of dedicating my entire life to understanding them and constantly honing my skills.

'I have watched them enough to see them think, to see how they watch and learn from experiences and remember things. 

Riding high: Ashley and Chris use their experience of reptiles to get in the water with specimens that could be potentially be deadly

Riding high: Ashley and Chris use their experience of reptiles to get in the water with specimens that could be potentially be deadly

Soulmates: Ashley said: 'Being a couple in this profession is great as it gives you someone to share the experiences with'

Soulmates: Ashley said: 'Being a couple in this profession is great as it gives you someone to share the experiences with'

'They make conscious decisions based on each situation and respond with the knowledge they have learned from past interactions. I think the 'secret' is giving them the credit they deserve.

'Every alligator and crocodile you see in my photos are completely wild animals, all the photos being either shot in the wild or at one of the parks where we place these 'nuisance' alligators and crocs.

'What I mean by nuisance is that these are animals that have caused a problem - eating a dog, getting into a swimming pool, etc - and we go out and capture these wild animals from homes and bring them back to one of our associated rescue facilities.

'Unfortunately they cannot be released due to their homing ability.

'The message I would like to get across through my encounters is to educate people about these amazing creatures and show people that although they can be potentially dangerous, none of these animals are evil or mean, and that many of them are quite beautiful and interesting.

'I hope to change the opinions of those that fear or hate wildlife and try to show people that with a little understanding and knowledge we can all learn to peacefully coexist.

'Throughout the world most species of crocodilians are under threat of habitat loss, poaching, and killed out of fear, some to the point that they are on the brink of extinction; I hope to be able to change some minds and persuade people to see the value in having these living dinosaurs in our presence.' 

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