Posing for snaps - PHOTO+VIDEO

Massive alligators are not only wild in the state of Florida but are also considered to be a nuisance - meaning they can be legally killed.But the kind-hearted and fearless staff at the Everglades Outpost in the town of Homestead have taken in all the nuisance alligators they can, averaging around 200 a year.To make money to feed the huge beasts the staff put on daily shows, where they wrestle and hand feed the animals in front of a paying crowd.Wildlife photographer John Chapa, 41 had never before swum with an alligator when he took the plunge and jumped into the 50ft pool.'The guys at the farm invited me down to take some pictures of them with the gators and said I could get in with them and keep all the pictures I liked.'For the first ten or 15 minutes I had to acclimatise myself with them but then I figured they didn't want to hurt me so I felt much more comfortable.'I would swim towards them and they would swim away. Gators only eat once a week and depending on the time of day. They can be quite placid animals.'They know what is and is not food but they are in no regard tame - you cannot tame a gator.'Christopher Gillette and Ashley Lawrence work at the farm and attempt to re-home each and every alligator in a neighbouring farm or sanctuary - as nuisance gators can never be released back into the wild.They invited Mr Chapa, who lives in Miami Beach, Florida, to the farm to photograph their up-close and personal encounters with the large reptiles.'It was a really fun day but you can't forget these people do some fantastic work,' he said. 'If a gator shows up at somebody's house or at a BBQ or anywhere else in the state of Florida more than a couple of times then the state will deem it a nuisance.'There are around 7,000 nuisance alligators reported each year and legally people can then just go out and kill that animal.'Chris and Ashley will then try to rescue it by hand to avoid hurting it.'It's a completely non-profit organisation - they do it all just to save the animals.'He added: 'They allowed us to swim with the animals but that's not normal at the farm. I have dived with sharks for many years so I understand wild animals and it was a great experience.'My girlfriend was also very comfortable - I think it's just about how you handle gators and you've got to be calm.'They don't just attack, they need to be hungry or agitated.'It was a great experience.'(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az