A US influencer has been arrested for trespassing into an animal enclosure in Florida after sharing videos of himself on social media.
Jacob Pursifull, a 20-year-old from Louisiana, jumped into the restricted alligator pit in Tampa’s Busch Gardens in late May. He jumped over two fences that are designed to keep the public from the deadly animals, drawing the outrage of the public, zoo, and law enforcement alike.
Pursifull, an Emerging Prank Influencer
According to Pursifull’s YouTube and TikTok pages, he’s a budding influencer who’s building an audience with prank videos. His TikTok bio reads, “road to 10k subs” and he features titles like “I Got Attacked” and “HE ALMOST DIED…” In his “attacked” video, Pursifull can be seen walking around Ybor City picking fights with people and asking for sexual favors.
Source: TikTok
Despite inflammatory content, his dreams are far from reality, however, with his combined 8,000 followers on both channels.
Perhaps that’s why Pursifull, along with two friends, entered the alligator enclosure at Busch Gardens while another recorded the event for social media. Though the videos have since been taken down, Pursifull’s face is full view in the video and made him easily identifiable.
In the video, he has a camera in hand and filmed himself within a few feet of the reptiles while doing a bad impression of the late Steve Irwin, a beloved Australian zookeeper, conservationist, and wildlife documentarian. Irwin was killed in 2006 after an unfortunate encounter with a stingray.
Source: Twitter
Trying to imitate Irwin, Pursifull can be heard saying, “Crikey, mate, this is insane, let’s get a closer look, shall we, just to see how it is…We have never been this close to the alligator, the crocodile, guys, Crikey, look how big that bugger is.”
Onlookers can be heard shouting at him to get out and warning him how dangerous it is to be close to the alligators. Pursifull can be heard saying things like “another wild Karen, Crikey!” The footage went viral.
The Arrest
With Pursifull’s own videos and other footage from onlookers, the Tampa Police Department had plenty of investigative leads to positively identify and locate the influencer. He was apprehended, arrested, and charged with Burglary, Theft of Services, and Trespass, according to a statement from the police department.[1]
He’s currently being held in Tampa on $8,500 bail. It’s unclear if the other people involved in the stunt will face charges.
Park Warnings
If the two barrier fences were not enough, the alligator pit also had multiple “Do Not Enter” signs posted around it to warn park guests. This is done not only to protect the public from injury or death but to protect the animals themselves.
Even though Pursifull was trespassing in the enclosure and ignored warnings, if he had been attacked, the alligator would have to be killed.
Alligators are generally fearful and nonconfrontational with humans. They avoid them as much as possible, but trespassing into the alligator’s territory could’ve provoked an attack from one of the half-ton animals. Just a warning encounter could’ve resulted in injury that would’ve brought negative press and forced the park to kill the gator.
As soon as Pursifull was seen in the enclosure, Busch Gardens’ security and animal care teams responded immediately to ensure that no bystanders or animals were hurt in the process.
Following the arrest, Busch Gardens issued a statement:
“The safety and well-being of our guests, ambassadors, and animals is top priority, and we are very grateful to law enforcement, particularly the Tampa Police Department and their law enforcement partners, for their swift action.”
“Prank Culture” and the Social Media Response
Despite his best efforts, social media commenters were not impressed with Pursifull’s antics. As some pointed out, Florida is lousy with gators. All Pursifull had to do was go near a marsh or canal anywhere in the state and have a close encounter without risking the safety of bystanders, park staff, and captive alligators.
“Prank culture” isn’t new. In fact, it goes back to before the rise of influencer marketing on social media with shows like “Pranked” and “Jackass.” One could argue, however, that social media skyrocketed prank culture and built the careers of some of the biggest creators, including David Dobrik and Jake Paul.
Fortunately, many of the pranks that went viral are harmless. Some are skirting the edges of legality or simply cruel, however, such as the girlfriend who thought it would be a fun “prank” to decline her boyfriend’s proposal in front of their loved ones.[2]
Even well-planned pranks from the biggest names in social media can draw public scrutiny, however. Jake Paul, who’s arguably one of the most popular prankster influencers, drew negative attention in 2017 when his prank videos and stunts raised safety concerns in his Beverly Grove neighborhood, such as one that involved starting a fire in his backyard.[3]
The Impact on Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is still a respected and valuable aspect of marketing strategy for major brands all over the world. But as more influencers push the envelope for clout-chasing or viral views – rather than the pursuit of personal branding or lucrative collaborations – it threatens to tarnish the entire industry.
Sources:
[1] https://www.tampa.gov/news/man-who-jumped-alligator-enclosure-arrested-122301
[2] https://www.intheknow.com/post/aita-reddit-joke-proposal/
