Louisiana couple use live alligator to help with gender reveal

PONCHATOULA, La. - Things got a little wild at a Louisiana gender reveal party.

Mike Kliebert, otherwise known as Louisiana’s “Gator King,” and his girlfriend, Rebecca Miller, held their gender reveal party on Sunday, that was assisted by an alligator, named Sally. Sally is 60 years old and very much alive.

Kliebert shared a nearly five-minute video on Facebook showing the interaction. He is seen wrangling Sally for a little while with a friend, before tapping her jaw to open her mouth. At that time, he tosses a small watermelon toward her teeth, which cracked open to reveal blue, fruity pieces. The couple hugged after learning they were having a boy.

The partygoers broke out in cheers after the watermelon broke apart. Kliebert’s mother, according to FOX News, also shared a Facebook video from a different angle, as well as a photo showing Kliebert, Rebecca, and their two children resting on Sally while holding the blue goo.

Kliebert was on season 1 of “Swamp People,” which aired on the History channel. He operates the Kliebert Turtle & Alligator Farm, located in Hammond, Louisiana, which has gators up to 18-feet, according to the website, among other reptiles. 

Kliebert posted on Facebook that he has received some backlash following the gender reveal videos, but shared another video on Wednesday to reassure the public that him and his family are experienced to handle alligators. It’s a talent he grew up learning, he said, and wants to pass on to his children. 

“For others who have bad thoughts about our video, we are here to put your thoughts to rest,” Kliebert is heard saying in the latest video.

He goes on to say that Sally has bitten him three time in the pasts, and he hasn’t lost his “fingers, toes, arms, legs, and my belly.”

“I’m a handler. I know what I’m doing. I’m experienced. Do accidents happen? Yeah, they happen,” Kliebert explained.

He said he takes pride in helping to conserve the American alligator and educate visitors who come to the sanctuary, and so does his 9-year-old son, Blaze.

“He knows more about these alligators than what your typical 9-year-old knows," Kliebert said. "For some of the folks saying bad things. Come to Klieberts. When you come here, I’ll let my son explain to you about what we do here.”

Blaze helped wrap up the video by adding, “I’m Blaze Kliebert and I want to be a gator handler like my dad.”