A video has gone viral online that showed a daring rescue of a reptile centre employee from the jaws of an alligator. The unidentified woman trainer was showing the alligator to a group of adults and children when the reptile attacked her and pulled her by her hand into its enclosure. As the visitors raised an alarm, a bystander immediately entered the enclosure and overpowered the alligator. He sat on it and held it by its head, not allowing it to bite the woman's hand. However, her hand remained inside its mouth.
The video showed the gator trainer directing the man on how to handle the reptile and he following her directions. For some time, the reptile put up a resistance but then submitted to the pressure exerted by the man. It loosened its grip on the woman's hand and allowed her to take it out.
People standing by the glass enclosure then pulled her out as the man remained inside tackling the alligator in the water. For a few more tense moments, the man remained on top of it and then slowly moved it away from the entrance.
The handler again directed the man from the outside on how to distract the reptile and get out of the enclosure. As soon as the man saw an opportunity, he scrambled towards the exit. By this time the alligator appeared tired and had lost interest in its prey. The frightening incident happened at Scales & Tails reptile centre in the US state of Utah.
Watch the video here.
The video has been shared by nearly 900 Facebook accounts and the man is receiving a lot of praise.
"He is awesome. He jumped in with no hesitation to save the trainer," said Tina Grajeda.
"Very well done after the initial contact," said Larry Coolidge.
"You should be proud. We need more people like that! What a great guy!" said Ember Rogders Hunt.
"Wow, that man was truly an angel sent to help her. Blessings unto him," said Armetha Steele.
"HERO!" said Kari Hultman.
In a separate post, the reptile centre sent “a huge shoutout” to Donnie Wiseman, the man who jumped into the enclosure and saved the handler, who was not identified. The centre said it hoped that this sort of incident never happens again.
Emergency medical technicians at the centre treated the gator trainer and she was then taken to the hospital for treatment, reported the local KUTV. Officials said the woman was expected to recover.
