SUMMERDALE, Alabama — Every day visitors flock to Alligator Alley Farm & Family Nature Adventure in Summerdale. And every day, at about 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., feeding time is one of the park’s main attractions.

Like clockwork, more than a dozen of the parks over 200 adult alligators ranging from small juveniles to grizzled veterans emerge from the water to feed. The main item on the menu is leg from a hog, complete with lots of bone snapping and crunching to help demonstrate the speed and power of these majestic animals.

“I can talk about it all day long, but nothing gets that message across quite like hearing those bones snap,” said Alligator Alley owner Wes Moore.

A native of Baldwin County, Moore opened Alligator Alley in 2004 with the main objective to rescue what are considered to be “nuisance alligators.”

“These aren’t bad alligators,” he said. “It just got to a point where they were no longer able to coexist with the human population.”

In addition to some of the largest male alligators on record in the country, the farm also incorporates a breeding and hatchery program that currently includes another 200 baby gators on the 20-acre preserve.

Alligator Alley is open to the public offering guided tours and special events, including the daily feeding demonstrations in the morning and afternoon. His No. 1 message for the demonstrations, “Don’t try this at home.”

“The main thing we want people to take away is that, whether they are here or in the wild, alligators are dangerous predators,” Moore said. “They live for three things: to eat, to sleep and to make more alligators.”

With the recent tragedy in Florida, Moore said, more and more visitors to the park approach him with their concerns about what happened there.

“If you’re asking my opinion, were there things the park could have done better? Yes. Were there things the family could have done that could have prevented what happened? Absolutely,” he said. “Was it anybody’s fault what happened? Absolutely not. It was quite simply put, a tragic accident.”

While there are a lot of unknown factors involved in the tragedy, one of the main factors was the timing.

“You have to be aware that in June, at 9:30 at night is when alligators are going to be most active,” he said. “You always have to be cautious, but particularly at dawn and at dusk.”

While the park has some of the responsibility to inform its guests, families also have to be aware of their environment and the dangers surrounding them.

“I don’t live anywhere near Montana or Arizona, but if I were hiking in those areas, I would certainly be looking out for bears, coyotes and other predators,” he said.

While there are plenty of signs posted in areas such as Gulf State Park and Daphne’s Gator Alley that warn against alligators, the threat is real in any of Alabama’s inland waters, Moore said.

“If you’re swimming in fresh water anywhere in Baldwin County, you are probably swimming with alligators,” he said. “It’s just a question of how close and how fast they can get to you. You just have to be smart and be aware of your surroundings. That’s what I hope visitors take away from here.”