Ferry Torrez

Ferry Polderman^[1] (1968 – 28 April 2023), known by his stage name Ferry Torrez, was a Dutch circus performer. Born to Frank Torrez, he lived in Amsterdam-Oost^[2] and grew up around circus performers and animals.^[3] In 1980, his father bought Circus Hoepla and renamed it Circus Franklin.^[1]

As a circus performer, Torrez began his career with Karah Khavak, a performer with reptiles. He performed throughout Europe,^[4] including in the first gay circus in the Netherlands, in 2010. He performed primarily with crocodiles, which he stored in an enclosure next door to his house.^[3] He also owned macaws, iguanas, monitor lizards, snakes, scorpions, and tarantulas.^[2][3] Throughout his career, he toured across the Netherlands, as well as touring in the Ivory Coast.^[1] He had multiple scars on his head due to inserting it in the mouths of his crocodiles.^[3] In his later life, he performed educational shows.^[2]

Torrez was a notable figure in LGBTQ culture in Amsterdam, namely in its leather subculture, and worked as a bouncer for Spijkerbar—Amsterdam's first gay bar—during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.^[2][3] He also made regular appearances on television.^[3]

In 2016, Torrez was arrested for possessing narcotics and ill-gotten money in his alligator sanctuary, which they guarded. According to his lawyer, he had them on behalf of another person, whom he did not question.^[3][5]

Torrez died on 28 April 2023, aged 54, of cancer. His animals were sent to sanctuaries across Europe in the months leading to his death. He was cremated on 8 May.^[2]