When Katalina ‘Kat’ Daley started brainstorming ideas for her college graduation photo shoot, one location immediately came to mind: Gator Country—the reptile rescue and adventure park in Beaumont where she’s worked for the past year.
The result was a set of photos that quickly exploded online, racking up more than 223,000 likes and 2,000 comments by Monday morning. In her favorite shot, the McNeese State University graduate plants a kiss on the snoot of Big Al—the massive gator at the center of the viral photoshoot.
Reactions poured in, with users flooding the post with praise for the striking—and undeniably wild—photos.
“This is the COOLEST graduation pic I’ve EVER seen omg,” one person wrote.
“This is as hard as you think it is,” wrote another.
Daley has been involved with wildlife her whole life. The graduate said she didn’t expect the photos to blow up the way they did, adding that they capture her at her happiest—with the animals.
“I just kind of wanted to highlight the animals that I take care of everyday in my pictures,” Daley told Chron on Monday.
Gator Country Adventure Park & Sanctuary owners Gary and Shannon Saurage brought Daley on for an internship last spring, she said. After just three months working at the facility, they offered her a full-time position.
Part of her job is working alongside Big Al, putting on an educational show for the public—something that she’s been trained to do.
“Of course, I didn’t immediately get in the water with him,” Daley said, referring to Big Al. “It was a lot of working with him from the bank, just him getting used to me, me getting used to him and…not pushing the envelope, but just slowly more him letting me get into his space than me getting into his, if that makes sense.”
She said many commenters worried the photos were unsafe and warned she could get eaten.
“There’s definitely a lot behind the scenes that people don’t see,” Daley said. “I am a trained professional, but I also have other trained professionals right behind me. This isn’t just a random animal. Definitely don’t try this at home.”
When asked what message she hopes to send, Daley said she wants people to understand that these animals aren’t as scary as they’re often made out to be, and that they shouldn’t be demonized.
“They deserve our protection,” Daley said.
Arguably in the running for some of the most memorable graduation photos out of Texas, Daley said the images are something she’ll cherish for years to come.
“That’s why I wanted to take my pictures with those alligators, just because that is something I want to look back on and remember for the rest of my life,” she said.