Have you ever watched the famous T.V. series The Crocodile Hunter? It was a popular show that featured Steve Irwin and how charmingly he always stand up against some of the meanest crocodiles. One thing that kept the audience glued to the screen was the fact that those crocodiles would shred Irwin into small pieces. But still, he would take up the fight. Brave man!
But do you know what? Irwin was not the only person who can wrestle a crocodile or alligator. There is a 74-years-old man living in Florida and he is known for his braveness. What he did was he managed to save his puppy from an alligator. Hopefully, a wildlife camera has managed to capture the entire incident.
Scroll down to check out this interesting story.
The internet is praising this 74-year-old retiree who jumped into a pond to save his puppy from an alligator
The name of this man is Richard Wilbanks and he has a dog named Gunner. One day, when his 3-months-old puppy was playing near the pond, a juvenile alligator tried to drag him inside the pond. Wilbanks said, “We were just out walking by the pond and it came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick.”
He was walking his dog by his backyard pond when the alligator jumped out of the water “like a missile”
When the alligator snatched the puppy, the adrenaline kicked in and Willbanks quickly came to the rescue
This incident of braveness and kindness was captured by a wildlife camera. And the camera was installed after getting permission from Florida Wildlife Federation and the fSTOP Foundation. The main purpose of capturing such videos is to help people appreciate nature near them.
He dragged the juvenile alligator out of the water and pried open its jaws to release the dog
The alligator itself wasn’t difficult to fish out, but forcing its mouth open was the hard part
“We live on a shared landscape,” explained Meredith Budd of the Florida Wildlife Federation. “We don’t just want to tolerate wildlife, but, rather, we want to thrive with wildlife on a shared landscape.”
The Florida Wildlife Federation and the fSTOP Foundation shared the wildlife cam footage with the media
Many online are praising the man for his bravery and for ‘rewriting the definition of Florida man’
Now, when on walks, Gunner the pupper is always on a leash and at least 10 feet away from the pond’s edge
Here’s how people online reacted to this story
