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Home / Travel

Father and son stranded over alligator pit as Gatorland zip line fails

NZ Herald
11 Jul, 2018 01:30 AM2 mins to read

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The incident, which happened on one of the park's zip line rides, was captured by Stewart Moore. Photo / Supplied, Facebook

The incident, which happened on one of the park's zip line rides, was captured by Stewart Moore. Photo / Supplied, Facebook

"Think you're having a bad day? Lemme show you what a real bad day looks like," says Facebook user Stewart Moore as he recorded a couple in distress at the Gatorland theme park in Orlando, Florida.

A man and his son were stranded 12 metres above a pit of alligators at the theme park after their zip wire failed.

Footage emerged on Saturday via social media as onlookers waited for the rescue attempt.

Stewart Moore, an anchor for the local news station WESH 2 News, captured the event on his smartphone.

Friend of mine at Gatorland with his son to go zip lining. Spotted a different father and son stuck on the line - high above several alligators WESH 2 News

Posted by Stewart Moore on Saturday, 7 July 2018
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Moore stayed at the scene, updating the post with the ongoing rescue effort by park staff.

Eventually, Moore filmed the pair being pulled back to safety at the end of the zip wire.

He later updated the post saying "everyone is down safe", to great relief.

Moore wrote that he had been taken by a friend to Gatorland to go zip lining with his son, but following the incident they may have decided to rethink their plans.

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It is not the first time zip line riders have been stranded at the park, but this pair was trapped for an agonisingly long time, due to their combined weight and a strong headwind.

Later that day, the park operators issued a statement on how the father and son came to be stuck above the pool of carnivorous reptiles.

Posted by Stewart Moore on Saturday, 7 July 2018

"On Saturday July 7, the zip line experience at Gatorland stopped midway with a father and child aboard during one of the scheduled rides. This was due to the gravity breaking system that stopped the two riders just short of the landing tower.

"This happens from time to time based on the weight of the riders and the direction of the wind. At no time was anyone in danger. Our zip line staff is highly trained to handle a variety of possible situations.

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"A zip line staffer on the receiving tower immediately hooked himself on the line and retrieved the two people by pulling them to the landing area."

The incident happened on one of the two of Gatorland's zip line rides, which are big attractions for the park. The zip lines deliver visitors an unparalleled view over the park's wildlife, including pools of Cuban alligators and Egyptian crocodiles.

However, this father and son might have seen more of the giant reptiles than they had bargained for.

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