Posted on 11/23/2020 10:50:54 AM PST by Red Badger
Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A Florida man jumped into a pond to rescue his puppy from the jaws of a hungry alligator that had grabbed the canine and dragged him under water.
Richard Wilbanks said he was outside his family's Estero home when he heard Gunner, the puppy he had only recently adopted, crying out in distress.
Wilbanks rushed to the back of the house, where he saw an alligator had grabbed Gunner and was dragging the dog under water.
A Florida Wildlife Federation surveillance camera recorded the moment Wilbanks jumped into the water to pry open the gator's jaws, allowing Gunner to run to safety.
Wilbanks said Gunner was not seriously injured.
"He had one little puncture wound, and ... my hands were just chewed up," Wilbanks told WINK-TV.
Wilbanks said he released the alligator after the encounter and decided not to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about the incident. He said the alligator was just following its animal instincts.
Wilbanks and his wife said the incident gave them a new appreciation for safety around the water.
"I would like to emphasize for people that have pets to make sure that they keep them away from the edge of the water," Wilbanks said.
VIDEO OF INCIDENT AT LINK.........
Florida man has no fear!
Very funny! Succoring to Dogs being taken down by Gators is dangerous
Why not adopt the ‘gator? It needs love, too, and one day Chompy and Snuffles could learn to love each other.
About 5’ gator, 4 month beagle pup. Good owner!
Maybe the pup was pricey... but Mr. Gator gotta eat too.
Did Florida Man want to eat the puppy too?
Scary stuff, but I’d kill a gator for my pups. But, I also keep my dogs on leashes and away from the river behind my house.
We have coyotes, hawks, gators and bears (and big cats.)
All pets are indoors.
I saw a video clip of the rescue. He did the whole thing while keeping a cigar in his mouth.
Florida man!
I saw that video and I suppose I was impressed.
But for sure I am not convinced it was a very wise thing to do.
What would I have done if it were my puppy? I doubt I’d would be digging into the mouth of an alligator.
I’m almost willing to bet this was staged, as horrific as that is to think about. Who has a camera ready and rolling when your dog is being eaten by an alligator?
Same here.
I stay with the dog when they’re outside and I’m not empty handed.
Hubby always wanted me to move to FL, where he’d spent years.
Yah, right.
It’s bad enough with my hillbilly apex predators.
Not gonna add dinosaurs to the mix.
The camera was Florida Wildlife Federation surveillance camera ..................
It looks like a King Charles Spaniel mix.
Tell ya what, make my dogs scream like that and that neck’s gonna get broke, “doing what’s natural” or not.
I’ve got my own “instinctive behavior” where my dogs are concerned.
And the alligator.
Where my dogs are concerned, I would show you a level of crazy you didn’t think existed.
“I’m almost willing to bet this was staged, as horrific as that is to think about. Who has a camera ready and rolling when your dog is being eaten by an alligator?”
If you have time t9 post, you have. time to read the article.
I read the article. You can claim anything. A perfectly centered shot of the man at close range doing this, and then groaning theatrically while doing it. I’ll stand by my contention that it’s fake.
By the way, wildlife cameras don’t have sound. That’s a dead giveaway.
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