Reptile zoo in Fountain Valley seeing flood of business after video of alligator goes viral

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A local reptile zoo is seeing a large increase in customers thanks to a video of one of their alligators that went viral.

In the video, Garth the gator jumped out of his enclosure during feeding time at The Reptile Zoo in Fountain Valley.

His handler remained calm, calling her father on FaceTime to come down and help her put the massive reptile back in his tank. No one was hurt and they were able to pick up the heavy gator and push him back into enclosure.

Julie and her dad, Jay Brewer, are the owners and operators of the family-run operation that has hit it big on social media.

"We had a billion views last month, 1 billion views in a 30-day period. That's pretty crazy," Jay said.

The videos are paying off online and in person. Families are turning out to see these gators and other reptiles first-hand.

Anissa Cardenas said she saw the animals on Snapchat and decided to visit.

For Garth the gator, getting out is easy, but getting the big boy back in his enclosure is not.

But the bottom line feels fine and the Reptile Zoo is busier than ever - all because of social media and the escapades of the very big gator.