Meet our Co-Founders

Chris Gillette is a wildlife biologist, photographer, and professional animal handler born and raised in Florida where he has spent a lifetime working with potentially dangerous wildlife. He specializes in working up close and hands on with crocodiles, alligators, sharks and snakes, and is known for his ability to train and habituate large and wild gators and crocs. Chris works in media both behind the lens and in front of it on film projects for Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet, History Channel, CNN, NBC, E!, Travel Channel, The Weather Channel, as well as numerous local and foreign networks. He has a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies from Florida International University with several academic publications in the field of invasive species biology, as well as numerous publications in popular literature highlighting award winning photography and stories. He has amassed a sizable social media following of 8 M followers from around the world with 4.9 million followers on TikTok, 1.1 million on Instagram, 2 million across two Facebook pages, and 600k on YouTube. Creating Bellowing Acres has been a lifelong dream for Chris.

Gabby was born and raised in Westchester NY and has loved animals since childhood. At age 15, she began volunteering at her local nature center, taking care of animals , running summer nature camp programs and doing educational demonstrations. She has worked and volunteered at multiple animal facilities and exotic veterinary hospitals, including Green Chimneys where she helped rehabilitate injured birds of prey, the Maritime Aquarium where she ran  animal touch tanks, and Animal Embassy where she brought animals to weekly school programs to teach children. Gabby also worked in both NY and FL as a veterinary technician. In 2017 she moved to South Florida, where she became a licensed alligator trapping agent, and helped catch nuisance alligators and bring them to rescues instead of them being euthanized. Gabby's dedication to rescuing animals and experience in the animal medical field allows her to help rehabilitate and heal sick animals, and makes her an amazing asset to the sanctuary. Being the co-founder of Bellowing Acres is a dream come true for her.