what happened to billie swamp safari

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The Seminole Tribune

Official newspaper of the seminole tribe of florida, billie swamp safari staff remains busy caring for animals during closure for covid-19 crisis.

While it has been more than a month since the Seminole Tribe closed Billie Swamp Safari on the Big Cypress Reservation out of an abundance of caution due to the COVID-19 virus, a handful of staff members have remained busy caring for all of the animals that call the safari park home.

“Unfortunately, we have not been able to share animal encounters with our guests, but our animals still need our utmost attention,” said Melissa Sherman, Operations manager. “We have hundreds of animals in our 2,200-acre safari wildlife preserve that need to be fed and looked after on a daily basis.”

Each day, five staff members from the park’s animal care department attend to more than 250 animals who are on exhibit in enclosures and over 100 more in the safari preserve.

“We have a diverse group of animals in enclosures ranging from birds to mammals to snakes,” Sherman said.

More than 120 birds are on display, including two newly hatched macaws, and lorikeets. Among the many mammals include a Florida panther, timber wolf, Florida black bear, grizzly bear, opossum and capybara. The 50-plus cold blooded animals featured include crocodiles, American alligators and snapping turtles.

“During normal business days when the park is open, guests can typically have a lorikeet feeding encounter,” Sherman said. “To that end, we must continue to condition the lorikeets with interaction from our handlers to prevent stress.”

The wildlife preserve features such animals as zebras, water buffalo, bison, red deer, feral hogs, ostrich, panthers and bears.

“Each one of our animal family deserves the best possible care that we can provide – we love all of them,” Sherman said. “We can’t wait for the day when our guests can return to enjoy these beautiful creatures.”

Wish you were here: Among the wildlife at Billie Swamp Safari

What: Airboats, swamp buggies, reptiles and critters shows, an alligator pit and several animal exhibits, including a bear and panthers.

Directions: Take Interstate 75 South toward Miami, exit at Exit 49. Drive north on Snake Road for 19 miles. The park entrance will be on your left.

Hours: Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., most rides available from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed on Christmas Day.

Admission: A wide variety of passes are available, ranging from $8 for the reptile or critter show to $43 day packages.

Information: (800) 437-4102, www.seminoletours.com.

Highlights: Spotting gators, crocs and other Florida native animals in their natural habitat.

Make sure not to miss: The Swamp Buggy tour. That's where you'll see the most animals.

Seen and heard around the park

? Mark and Elaine Wentwarth from London, England, were visiting Florida for the first time. On their way from Miami to Naples they saw the oversized sign for Billie Swamp Safari and decided to take a detour. 'I'm glad we did,' Elaine said. 'Seeing animals in their habitat is much better than seeing them in a cage.'

? Filippo Commisso from Milan, Italy, has never visited the park before. 'I went on an airboat once, when I was a kid, so when a friend in Naples told me about this place, I thought it would be a great way to spend the day.'

Whether you are coming from Naples and going east or coming from Fort Lauderdale and going west, it's hard to miss the signs for Billie Swamp Safari.

The first time I visited my parents in Southwest Florida, my plane landed in Miami. One of my most vivid memories of that trip is the brutal heat that engulfed me as I stepped out of the airport. After a few weeks of cool California weather, I was unprepared for temperatures in the 90s and humidity pushing the 85-percent mark.

I also was unprepared for the long stretch of straight, boring highway between the two coasts. The year was 1997, traffic on Interstate 75 was non-existent, and the only sign of civilization between Fort Lauderdale and Naples was a place called Billie Swamp Safari off Exit 49.

For years, members of the Seminole Tribe had seen tourists en route from Miami to Naples stopping by the preserve, curious about Native American culture and wild animals. It wasn't until February 1993, however, that the tribe officially opened Billie Swamp Safari, a park where people could learn more about their way of life and, most of all, about Florida's fauna and flora.

'Word got around and we got more and more visitors each year,' says park director Ed Woods, who has worked at Billie Swamp Safari since its opening. Nowadays, the park sees more than 300,000 visitors a year and has won several awards as one of the best attractions to visit while in Florida.

Many say that what makes the park special is the attention given to the environment and to the animals. What started as a sanctuary for animals native to the area quickly turned into a park that welcomed species from all around the world. A large number of animals have been surrendered to the park from private owners and businesses that couldn't take care of exotic animals anymore. Many others were found wounded or sick, nursed back to health by the park's volunteers and then added to the ever-growing animal population. The most famous of these rescued animals is Mouse, a young deer everyone has grown to know and love.

'His mother was killed by a panther in front of two swamp buggies full of tourists,' Woods said. 'Later that day, we found the baby (deer) and named him Mouse because of his big ears. He has grown up now and usually hangs out with the goats by the gift shop.'

Billie Swamp Safari is not done expanding, says Woods. In the next few years they are planning on creating a completely self-sufficient lodging area that will be, at the same time, state-of-the-art and eco-friendly. For now, the most adventurous types can stay overnight at the nearby Big Cypress RV Resort, which offers both air-conditioned cabins and tent sites along with laundry facilities, a pool, miniature golf and more.

Regardless of what you want to do at Billie Swamp Safari, it's a good idea to show up at the campgrounds early to enjoy the park before the summer afternoon showers. I show up on a hot Friday morning at 10 and am surprised to see the parking lot is already packed.

Airboat rides

'They say tour guides only last two or three years, but I guess they forgot to tell me,' jokes Andrew Necolettos. He has worked as a guide at Billie Swamp Safari since 1995 and has no intention of changing jobs. The only thing he doesn't like about being a guide and airboat driver is the damp, boiling hot weather in which he has to work all summer long.

He has a point. It's not even 11 a.m. but the mercury has already risen over the 90-degree mark and the still, sticky August air is smothering. The sky is hazy with heat, the stagnant water underneath the dock smells of rotten eggs, and all I can hear is the distant sound of an airboat and several complaints about the heat in various languages.

Despite the muggy weather, there's a part of me that's giddy with excitement. The last time I was on airboat, I was 9 years old and I had never seen a gator or a crocodile before. Born and raised in a city of more than 3 million people, the most exotic reptiles I had experienced were a few lizards our cat killed in the backyard. I have been a Florida resident for almost seven years, but I still get excited when it comes to gators and crocodiles.

At 11 on the dot, Necolettos makes a few of us board an airboat and suggests we wear the complimentary earplugs that come with the ticket. Once our ears are protected we start our tour, the muffler-less engine screaming behind us. After the muggy heat we have suffered at the dock, the breeze that comes from moving through the swamp is a welcome change. Soon enough, we veer in the shade of the trees in a pretty wooded area and Necolettos turns the engine off. He points at some bubbles surfacing in between the water lilies, and a second later a pair of beady, dark eyes emerge from the swamp.

'It's the beginning of mating season,' says Necolettos. 'This is a male gator checking us out, marking his territory. The other will follow.'

And he's right. As we snap pictures and admire the aquatic plants around us in the next five minutes, three, then four and five other gators, males and females, slowly make their way to our boat and start circling it in a sharkish fashion that is slightly unnerving. Necolettos tries to divert our attention to the moss and the mistletoe growing off many tree trunks, but we can't stop staring at the gators. An 800-pound killing machine always trumps water plants.

Swamp buggy tours

Even more interesting than the airboat tour, the Swamp Buggy tour turned out to be the highlight of our day at Billie Swamp Safari. Swamp buggies look like pontoon boats mounted on oversized tires. As goofy as they might look, they come in handy when it comes to driving into the deepest parts of the swamp. When I read the sign discouraging pregnant women and people with back problems from participating to the tour, I think it's the usual exaggeration. However, two minutes into our ride I realize that this tour is not for sissies.

Kathy Mickelsen, our driver/tour guide, isn't joking when she recommends we all keep our limbs inside the buggy. Dangle your arm over the rail and you will get smacked, scratched and hit by tree branches and overgrown weeds of all kinds. We brace ourselves as our guide begins to follow the paths in and out of the swamp, slightly reducing our speed before entering the water, but otherwise traveling at a brisk pace, the tree branches and the wind making a few baseball caps fly away.

While the airboat tour is ideal to catch a glimpse of gators, the buggy ride is perfect to spot the many species of terrestrial animals residing in the park. From skinny ostriches to 2,000-pound Asian water buffaloes, Billie Swamp Safari hosts an incredible variety of mammals, all free to roam within the 2,200-acre reserve.

While native panthers are hard to come by during the day, most of the wild hogs, kettle and deer seem to be unfazed by our large vehicle's arrival and they keep eating and lounging in the shade as we go by. As much as everyone on the tour hopes to see the elusive Florida panther, we have to settle for a slightly less exciting encounter: a female raccoon. Perched on a tree, feasting on its berries, the critter looks at us with mild curiosity for a while before returning to her chore.

'Mother raccoons collect these berries for their babies,' explains Kathy, picking some up and handing them out to the rest of us. 'Try them, they are edible.' Even though I can't say they are my favorite kind of fruit, it's good to know that I've just learned to recognize an edible berry. Should I ever be lost in the Florida swamps, I'll know what to eat.

Despite the heat, the summer is the best time of the year to take a swamp buggy tour. During the dry winter months, the water level can be as low as 2 inches, giving one the impression that there isn't much of a swamp to go through. In the summer, however, the water gets as deep as 5 feet, which is what makes the tour more adventurous and exciting, especially for the kids.

Reptile and critter shows

As at most animal-themed parks, Billie Swamp Safari offers a couple of shows to familiarize people with the local fauna. Shows are 45 minutes long and aim to both entertain and educate families about animals that live and breed in Florida. The reptile show seems to be most popular with young boys who apparently never get tired of watching gators and snakes. For those who don't particularly enjoy the company of reptiles, Billie Swamp Safari also offers a critter show, which is scheduled only once a day at 1:15 p.m. Raccoons, baby armadillos and a fluffy skunk are some of the animals you will see and get to know better during the show.

Also, the park rangers will fill you in on what to do and what not to do around these animals. Who knew that if you get sprayed by a skunk, taking a shower will worsen the matter and make you stink for seven days? I sure didn't. But now I know that if it ever happens to me, all I have to do is douse myself in tomato juice.

Billie Swamp Safari

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• Excellent 34
• Very Good 13
• All languages ( 63 )
• English ( 60 )
• French ( 2 )
• Spanish ( 1 )

" If staying in the chickee huts, choose a water front hut as these seemed to have more airflow--important as no A/C. "

" If you plan to stay in the Chickees, please note that they are not heated and it is a long walk to the bathrooms and showers. "

" Save your trips until the day warms up and the reptiles come out "

" The dorms for family retreats and birthday parties are worth the cost. STAY THE NIGHT!!!! Take the night buggy ride!!! The bigger the group the better! "

" Bring extra bedding for comfort if you wish,this is like camping only better. Also maybe snacks etc. for after everything closes you are away from everywhere. "

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BILLIE SWAMP SAFARI (Clewiston) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

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John Martinez, Alligator Wrestler on Gator Boys , Dies at Age 30

Alligator wrestler John Carlos Martinez, a lifelong animal lover, a Marine, and a character on the reality show Gator Boys , died on September 3, New Times has learned. He was 30 years old.

The show focuses on "the only bare-hand nuisance animal trapping company in Florida" -- guys who trap gators with their bare hands and relocate them, typically at Everglades Holiday Park. Martinez, who went by the nickname J-Mart, made his first appearance on the show feeding Cheetos to an alligator.

Martinez's mother, Susan Allen, said that he grew up and went to school in Kissimmee and that his father's family was from Clewiston.

"From the day John was born, he loved animals," Allen said. "He always had some type of animal in his hand, and he was tenderhearted with them. We always lived on acreage, and since he was about 3, I'd always have to stop him at the back door when he was coming inside from playing and make him empty his pockets. He'd say, 'I don't have anything!' But he'd finally empty them and there would be a frog, a lizard, some sticks, some rocks, some roly-polies. He just wanted to take them inside so he could sleep with them."

Allen said that Martinez was never without a dog as a pet and that the family raised deer, which he bottle-fed. "He was just a natural with animals -- a very, very tenderhearted, sweet young man." Allen also recalled him reading Bible verses to his grandfather.

He loved Lion Country Safari, kept pet snakes, and "when we went fishing, he could see a gator a mile away."

After serving as an infantryman in the Marines, Martinez gravitated to South Florida, settling in Hollywood so he could be near the Everglades -- "the raccoons, the snakes, and everything," his mom says. Allen says he worked at Billie Swamp Safari and volunteered at Native Village and "bugged the heck out of" the gator wrestlers until they taught him how to work with the animals too.

Martinez became a regular entertainer at Everglades Holiday Park. Blogger Deb Neumann caught his show in February . She described how he tamed gators by imitating a baby gator sound and held the jaws of a gator shut using only his chin. She described his role on the show as "one of those colorful characters who add fun and interest to a show."

An online obituary mentioned nothing about the TV show.

Allen says, "I just didn't mention it because he was just John to me. I never associated him with the show. I was more proud of him as the type of person he was inside. He was just my baby." She says she watched and enjoyed the show, though. She did not want to talk about how her son died.

A representative at Everglades Holiday Park confirmed the death and said it did not happen at the park but declined to offer further details. Mike Mathis Productions, which produces the show, declined comment and referred calls to Animal Planet. Two spokespeople did not return calls for comment Tuesday.

Gator Boys star Andy Riffle tweeted:

RIP J-Mart u will be missed by many people u will always live on pic.twitter.com/okTIBV0ScB — GatorBoys_Andy (@RiffleAndy) September 4, 2013

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Billie Swamp Safari

Review Highlights

“ We took the airboat ride and our tour guide, Matthew, was terrific making the ride exciting and pointed out so many interesting things. ” in 45 reviews

“ Update: we went back last week because we did not have the opportunity for a Swamp Buggy ride when we visited last time. ” in 20 reviews

“ The Critters show was both interactive and fun (I held a baby alligator, petted a skunk and fed a deer). ” in 12 reviews

Location & Hours

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30000 Gator Tail Trl

Big Cypress Seminole Reservation

Clewiston, FL 33440

Serving Clewiston Area

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About the Business

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Have a family fun adventure in the Florida Everglades. Enjoy free admission and complimentary Alligator show held daily at 1:15pm. Airboat Rides & Swamp Buggy Eco-Tours depart daily through 2200 acres of untamed nature with abundant native and exotic wildlife. Watch a Snake Show & Swamp Critter Show, hold a baby Alligator after the demonstration. Enjoy over 15 beautiful and clean animal exhibits, make new friends at our petting zoo. Explore the boardwalk nature trail and American Indian village. Dine in the Swamp Water Café open 7am - 6pm. Overnight accommodations are available in Seminole Chickees (rustic native-style huts) select from waterfront or standard views. Bring the whole family and experience the heart of the Florida Everglades like a Native...at Billie Swamp Safari. Owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Special pricing available for groups over 13 and tour groups. No reservations needed for parties smaller than 13 people. …

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Overall rating

105 reviews

Love the whole experience. The powerboat was wicked fun. Crystal the swamp buggy was amazing knowledgeable, Betty at the critter show was fun, funny and informative. All around great experience

Betty at the critter show was fun, funny and informative. All around great experience

Nothing like having reservations for 2pm and sitting in the Florida heat for an extra 25 minutes plus Thanks Billy

Didn't go on the airboat but loved the herpetologist on duty, Colin. He LOVES snakes! Said no snake should be killed except perhaps the reticulated Boa..the ones people bring in from other countries and let loose because they 'tire' of their toys.! He has a good point. These non-native species are wiping out bird colonies and other animals. Fine display of venomous snakes as well as non. I could have talked to him for hours. Nice display of tortoises, caimans, monitor lizard and, of course, gators. Speaking of which, I went to the Swamp cafe and had Alligator nuggets for lunch along with the fry bread and honey..delicious! Nice gift shop too.

I had the privilege of taking some family and friends to enjoy BSS. We had a great time and the staff was courteous and tended to our needs. The staff at the Swamp Water Cafe on the grounds were also very attentive to our group. Highly recommend this as a little taste of Florida that most visitors don't get to see.

We had a wonderful time here. Paid $50 (less $5 AAA discount) for the day pass, which included a 20 minute airboat ride, critter show, snake show, and 60 minute swamp buggy ride. The highlight was the buggy ride. Granted, it is VERY bumpy, and you drive thru water, which was kind of scary, but we saw such an array of wildlife and the scenery was beautiful! They also have a small zoo area and many picnic areas. They have done many upgrades since our last visit years ago, and the place looks great!

See all photos from Kris E. for Billie Swamp Safari

I brought my wife and son here yesterday. It was great and the staff was amicable. We plan on returning here again to enjoy a night time tour. The long drive here is worth it. While here we tried the sampler platter of frog legs, gator tail and catfish which were delicious. Tickets were inexpensive on the LivingSocial app but they are also available on Groupon.

We didn't know what to expect after a 20 mile drive from the highway, but we were pleasantly surprised. When we arrived we walked all around to check out the animals- they have bears, wolve, bobcat, otters, raccoon, capybara, turtles, snakes, birds, goats, donkey and of course alligators. One very huge alligator! We decided not to take any of the paid tours, but enjoyed freely walking around checking out all of the animals.

Super good.. the driver knows a lot! He explains all about the animals plants and the area.. Interesting thing to scape from the city..

I visited Billie Swamp Safari as part of a visit to the Seminole Reservation through an FSU alumni group. The airboat ride was a lot of fun! I had never been on one before, so I didn't really know what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. We did have a pretty long wait, as some other reviewers have mentioned. I think the organization of the tours could probably be improved a bit, but still, they definitely give fair warning that you might have to wait a while, and everyone is friendly and so that helps a bit. They provided us with earplugs, and I was so grateful for that, because the ride is pretty loud. Our airboat driver took us around for about 20 minutes,, and gave us some descriptions along the way of plantlife and different nature-ish things that we came across. Who knew there are such beautiful nature-y things in Florida? I really enjoyed getting in there, into areas where all you could see were trees and there were no buildings in sight. After the airboat ride, we walked around a bit. There are alligators, a Florida panther, and some other native Florida creatures that were really cool to see. We saw some kids in cabins so it seems like you can rent a place to stay there. It was a nice end to our fun day! (See my review of the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum for another cool place to go in the area!)

Highly recommend Billie's Swamp Safari. Recently my nieces came down from Michigan to visit and they were both young in their 20's. We were trying to decide what to do for the day. I gave them two choices . 1 adventure 2 beach day. They chose adventure . We drove down towards the Everglades and ended up at The Seminole Indian Reservation. On the way there we stopped at a couple of road locations at the reservation that were peddling homemade items, jewelry , jackets etc. (Make sure to carry some cash) no credit cards on the side of the road . We arrived at the safari and there is where we got one the ride of our life (our tour guide forgot his name but he's been bit by a gator was the best ) 2. My company got to see the alligators 3. Had lunch (very reasonable ) nothing more expensive than 18..00 dollars . Burger and fries for around 10.00 dollars. You can choose to pay per ride or all inclusive tour for 49.00 dollars . If your a Triple. A member you get a discount so make sure to ask . All in all it was definitely an Adventurous Day!

See all photos from Irene R. for Billie Swamp Safari

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Billie Swamp Safari

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• Excellent 34
• Very Good 13
• All languages ( 63 )
• English ( 60 )
• French ( 2 )
• Spanish ( 1 )

" If staying in the chickee huts, choose a water front hut as these seemed to have more airflow--important as no A/C. "

" If you plan to stay in the Chickees, please note that they are not heated and it is a long walk to the bathrooms and showers. "

" Save your trips until the day warms up and the reptiles come out "

" The dorms for family retreats and birthday parties are worth the cost. STAY THE NIGHT!!!! Take the night buggy ride!!! The bigger the group the better! "

" Bring extra bedding for comfort if you wish,this is like camping only better. Also maybe snacks etc. for after everything closes you are away from everywhere. "

Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.

BILLIE SWAMP SAFARI: See 60 Reviews and 36 Photos (Clewiston, FL)

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• Animal Exhibits
• Airboat Rides
• Swamp Buggy Eco-Tours
• Critter Show
• Exclusive VIP Tour
• Twilight Expedition
• Swamp Water Cafe
• School Field Trips
• Accommodations
• Media & Filming Requests

Exclusive Everglades Twilight Expedition at Billie Swamp Safari

Have you ever wondered what the Florida Everglades are like at night? Well, now you don’t have to anymore thanks to Billie Swamp Safari’s twilight expedition. Now, Florida vacation visitors can enjoy campfire storytelling and a nighttime swamp buggy tour on this exclusive evening of family fun in South Florida’s most treasured wilderness – The Florida Everglades!

Everglades Campfire and Seminole Storytelling

Your journey begins around the campfire with stories and legends from the people of this land, the Seminole Tribe of Florida . In fact, your Seminole guide will share stories that have been passed down over many generations, while keeping you on the edge of your seat! Twilight expedition guests will begin to feel the breeze blow softly through the stands of mangroves and hammock trees. At the same time, you can almost hear the echoes of the centuries – in the stories told, retold and cherished by the proud Seminole people.

Swamp Buggy Tour as Daylight Fades

After storytelling, embark on the swamp buggy tour in the early evening hours and travel through our Everglades park exploring hardwood forests and pop ash ponds. As daylight fades, the darkness transforms the landscape into a mysterious and magical place. In the dark, animal behaviors change, the sweet smell of night flowers and the orchestra of nature’s sounds fills the air.

With a spotlight in hand, our Everglades guide will navigate the swamp trails as you look for what may be lurking in the trees or around the next bend. For example. the beam of the light may catch the reflection of an animal eyes. Then, the reflection shines back at you in colors of amber, green, or red. As you can imagine, our Everglades preserve is filled with hundreds of animals, some who hide from predators in their natural habitats.

Additionally, you may even spot wildlife such as deer, raccoon, or wild pigs on your twilight expedition. At the same time, many Everglades creatures move through the night, occasionally resting under the trees. Panthers and bears are usually in active hunting mode during these hours. As such, you may be lucky enough to witness a rare sighting!

Each twilight expedition is unique and ONLY predicted by nature, but we can guarantee it is an experience like no other! Make sure you book with us on your next Florida family vacation.

Things You Need to Know

The Twilight Expedition Package is from 7pm – 9pm Minimum of 10 people or $400 flat rate (or inquire about existing availability) Call 14 days in advance for reservation (1-800-GO-SAFARI or 863-983-6101) Check-in time is no later than 5:30 pm Don’t forget your insect repellant!

Related Links Rates & Packages Swamp Buggy Eco-Tour Exclusive VIP Tour

All scheduled times are approximate. Inclement weather may affect tour/ride times. Sorry – NO pets allowed in park (PETS LEFT IN CAR WILL BE REMOVED AT OWNER’S EXPENSE) and no refunds.

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