A shocking video has emerged showing a young girl riding on the back of an 2.4m alligator during a children’s party.
The young girl, named Katie, can be seen being encouraged by adults to climb on the back of the reptile, as other excited children can be heard in the background.
Shot in 2013, the footage was apparently taken during an event to promote conservation of animals through education.
During these sessions, kids are invited to meet an alligator and other cold blooded creatures.
However, despite the light-hearted nature of the clip, many internet users have recently slammed the footage – saying the event put a young child in obvious danger.
Youtuber SimplyLatino wrote: “This isn’t funny at all. That animal can easily turn and kill that little girl. This is simply irresponsible.”
Elisa Allen, Director from Peta UK told the MailOnline: “Remember the outrage when Steve Irwin dangled his child near an alligator? Such foolhardy behaviour risks a child’s life, and this child’s parents should be reported to social services.
In the wild, American alligators can grow up to more than 3m long, and live in the nation’s rivers, lakes and swamps in the south.
Just last June, toddler Lane Graves was killed while paddling at Disney World in Florida. He was attacked by an alligator and dragged into the water, being found 17 hours later.
Watch the full video below
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