From gator wrestling to dolphin shows, animal attractions have been a staple in Florida tourism for decades. Sadly in the past, the care of the animals took a backseat, with income being the main priority for these attractions. For this project, we wanted to focus on how animals have been treated and how their conditions have changed since the earliest attraction was established on the Pinellas Gulf Beaches in 1953. In addition to the research we collected on the Madeira Beach Arena, the Aquatarium, and the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, we conducted an oral history interview with a more recently established animal attraction in Madeira Beach, the Alligator Discovery and Wildlife Center. We found that the quality of life for animals at these attractions has greatly improved over time, with the help of federal animal conservation laws.

Florida's climate and the range of ecosystems found in the state make it home to several species of animals that are relatively unique in the continental United States, and considered exotic by visitors to the peninsula. Tourists' curiosity about Florida's fauna meant that animal attractions could be a significant economic opportunity for early entrepreneurs. Opened in 1893, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm was one of the state's earliest tourist attractions, capitalizing on visitors' fears and fascinations about this native reptile. Here in Pinellas County, the first animal attraction - Jack Hurlbut's Marine Arena in Madeira Beach - focused instead on the mammalian marine life to be found in our warm Gulf waters.

Hurlbut, an Illinois-born mechanical engineer, had originally moved to Florida with his wife, a Florida native. He opened Jack's Bait Shop across from the docks at John's Pass, where he became known for the wide variety of live and unusual fish he would keep in his baitwells. Fishermen who were friends of Hurlbut would catch these fish live from the waters around the pass and bring them to Hurlbut to put on display. Over time, the Bait Shop became an attraction itself, with residents and tourists alike finding themselves drawn to the animals.

Catching on to the popularity of the baitwells, Hurlbut conceived of what would eventually become his Marine Arena. Drawing on his engineering qualifications, he built a 50,000-gallon concrete aquarium from his own design, with 17 glass portholes along the sides and a viewing area around the top. At its debut in 1953, the newly-christened Marine Arena contained dozens of smaller fish, a 300-lb loggerhead turtle named Stinky, a pair of 450-lb. Goliath grouper, and a juvenile bottlenose dolphin named Frankie.

The most famous animal in Hurlbut's attraction came much later, however. Paddy, a 7'10" bottlenose dolphin, spent 9 years at the Marine Arena, performing three shows a day. Admission for adults cost 75 cents; for children, it was only 35 cents. Of all of Hurlbut's animals, Paddy was the most easily trained and stayed in show business the longest, and Hurlbut's family noted that the two shared an especially deep bond.

The opening of the St. Pete Beach Aquatarium in 1964 spelled the end of Hurlbut's Marine Arena, at this point renamed the John's Pass Aquarium. Hurlbut was well aware that he could not compete with the $3.5 million, 1.2 million-gallon facility. The Johns Pass Aquarium was closed, and its residents - including Paddy, a sea lion named Sydney, and 50 assorted fish - were sold off to the Aquatarium. Hurlbut continued to run his bait shop before moving on to work as an engineer at Brite Industries, until his death in 1975 at the age of 61.

Although the Marine Arena deserves its place in the history of the Gulf Beaches as a beloved tourist attraction, it's irresponsible not to recognize the darker side of Hurlbut's business. The Arena was constructed on Hurlbut's own money and by his own design, and the limitations of the project became apparent early on. Frankie, Hurlbut's first dolphin, was blinded in one eye at his capture, killed another dolphin named Johnnie who had been brought in to be Frankie's playmate, and died within months. Hurlbut's first two sharks beat themselves to death against the walls of the tank. All of Hurlbut's tarpon refused to eat and inevitably died. The arena itself was dark, as the roof permitted little sunlight. In spite of these losses, Hurlbut's connections with local fishermen allowed him to recapture new animals easily, enabling the Marine Arena's success.

Compared to later developments in the animal attractions of the Gulf Beaches, Hurlbut's Marine Arena, in spite of its popularity, serves as an example of why later regulations (including the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act) on the sale and possession of marine life were necessary, and sits in stark contrast to the better conditions of its successor attractions.

Residents living on the Pinellas Gulf Beaches between 1964 and 1977 probably have fond memories of the Aquatarium, one of the country's leading marine attractions. The 1963 film Flipper, which featured a friendly and trainable dolphin, spawned a popular television series and inspired many tourists to seek out marine attractions highlighting dolphins and porpoises. This sparked the creation of the Aquatarium, a $3.5 million marine park that opened in the summer of 1964, and featured trained porpoises, sea lions, and pilot whales. The Aquatarium was built in 1964 by Marine Attraction Inc. on a 17 acre plot of land on St. Petersburg Beach between 64^th and 66^th Avenues, right on the Gulf of Mexico.

Jonah, a 16 foot-long pilot whale, was homed inside a circular tank 100 feet in diameter for 2 years. Pilot whales are a deep-water species not made for swimming endlessly in a circular tank. In the spring of 1966 Jonah stopped leaping and stopped eating, and eventually died. Jonah was not replaced; the Aquatarium’s dolphins and sea lions remained in captivity, performing in both the large tank and a smaller ancillary facility.

Four years after its construction, a local hotel owner, Frank Cannova, bought the Aquatarium for $2 million. However, the opening of Walt Disney World and the gasoline shortages in the 1970’s took a hit on the Aquatarium. In the mid-1970s, the Aquatarium was re-branded as “Shark World” to capitalize on the recent release of the movie Jaws. The re-brand was unsuccessful, and in a last ditch effort the owner of the Aquatarium tried to add a waterslide to attract tourists, but zoning officials refused to approve the slide. The Aquatarium was torn down, and the former location is now home to the Silver Sands Beach and Racquet Club condominium.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium's mission is to preserve the marine environment by conducting research and conservation efforts, providing environmental education to the public, and rescuing, rehabilitating and, when possible, releasing marine life back into the wild. According to their website, "The mission and potential to change people’s lives differentiates Clearwater Marine Aquarium from any other aquarium in the world." Since 2010, the aquarium has rescued more than 1,200 sea turtles, released more than 600 animals, and monitored over 1,700 turtle nests. In 2019 alone, the aquarium reported 91,000 hours from volunteer workers.

In 2011, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium gained national acclaim when Dolphin Tale, a major motion picture was released to the public. The movie follows the inspirational story of Winter the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, the first dolphin to ever receive a prosthetic tail. The movie was shot almost entirely on the site of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and effectively boosted attendance to the dwindling aquarium, allowing them to continue in their mission of rescue and rehabilitation.

Although the aquarium already boasted a guest space of 103,000 sq. ft., in 2017 the Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced a 66 million dollar expansion of the facility. They planned to incorporate 5 new dolphin pools, a parking garage, and 93,000 sq. ft. of additional guest space. As a gesture of goodwill and faith in the facility, the city counsel voted to allot a $5 million grant to help the aquarium in their expansion project, calling it "an investment that will show far greater returns".

Today, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is still thriving. They have recently added an off-site facility to their arsenal, located at Fred Howard Park. The facility is closed to the public and dedicated solely to rescuing stranded marine mammals and providing them with short term care.

Located in John's Pass Village in Madeira Beach, the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center is home to a range of exotic and unique animals. When originally founded in 2011, the Discovery Center was named The Alligator Attraction. However, the business models shifted away from being a tourist attraction based purely on the excitement of seeing Florida's famous reptiles, to a center dedicated to educating families, school groups, and visitors about animal conservation.

Currently, the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center is home to more than 180 different animals, including African Spur Thigh Tortoises, Lionfish, Miniature Pigs, Tarantulas, Sloths, and of course, Alligators. These animals are brought to the center through rescues, owner forfeits, and the SPCA. An example of these rescues are given in the video when Daniel Glenn mentions that the alligators are actually rescues from skin farms. Daniel also mentioned that due to the exotic nature of these animals, people are not aware of what care for the animal entails. Many times, the animals become bigger than the original owner expected, or the owner lacks the knowledge needed to properly care for the animals. Aside from alligators, the majority of these species are not native to Florida, so it's important that they are not released into the wild. This is when the center is able to step in and care for these animals correctly. Daniel Glenn, the director of marketing for the Discovery Center, discusses this more in the interview below.

Unlike past historical animal attractions, the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center strives to uphold ethical and moral standards when it comes to the care of its animals. Residents at the Discovery Center have proper lighting, space, and enrichment. Although the attraction can't replicate the wild environment for these animals, the Discovery Center does its best by including plants that would be native to their original area.

To ensure they are upholding animal care standards, the Discovery Center is currently licensed by the USDA, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision, Florida Department of Agriculture, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The center also hosts a wide range of education programs every year to allow students, families, and everyone in between to learn about the animals and why conservation is important. The Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center even hosts off-site events in hopes they can reach a broader group of people.

To get a better grasp of the role and responsibilities of the animal care takers at the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center, students interviewed head aquarist, Jay Marino. In his interview, Jay discusses what animals he is responsible for and the challenges he faces on the daily basis to keep their living quality at the proper standards.

Jay Marino brings up one challenge relating to the pH levels of the water in the tanks. Due to the human traffic in and out of the center, CO2 levels are constantly changing. These changing levels in CO2 have an impact on the pH level of the water. In order to keep the pH where it should be, Jay is constantly having to take water tests and adjust the water values accordingly so the animals inside the tanks stay healthy. Although this is a problem many people may not have thought of, it is one Jay deals with everyday. This insight helps to show how intensive modern animal care is in licensed facilities.

This study of past and present animal attractions on Pinellas County's Gulf Beaches demonstrates clear moral and ethical growth, and growing consideration for the well-being of the animals that draw tourists to Florida. In addition, the goals of these attractions are shifting. Rather than marketing themselves as strictly sites for human entertainment, contemporary animal attractions are more education-oriented. They utilize humanity's natural curiosity to fund rehabilitation and care for these animals, and inspire the deeper understanding of our fellow species that will ensure the animal attractions of the future are even more ethically operated.

Above is the Alligator & Wildlife Discovery Center website for those that want to check

the attraction out for themselves.