Alligators and crocodiles are scary, and we can all agree on that.

But some people have enough courage to approach them and even fight them.

An elderly man from Florida recently fought an alligator to save his puppy from certain death. A wildlife camera captured the whole incident.

Richard Wilbanks, a 74-year-old resident of Estero, Florida, was taking a walk with his dog named Gunner next to the backyard fishpond when a young alligator jumped right out of the water, grabbed the 3-month-old puppy, and started pulling it into the water.

Wilbanks immediately jumped into the water and wrestled the alligator with bravery that even the late Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, would be envious of.

The internet went nuts about this 74-year-old man who fought an alligator to save his puppy

Image

“We were just out walking by the pond,” Wilbanks told CNN, “and it came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick.”

He said that the adrenaline immediately kicked in, and he impulsively jumped into the water to fight off the beast.

He was walking his three-month-old puppy around his backyard pond when a young alligator sprang out of the water “like a missile.”

Image

When the alligator grabbed the dog, the adrenaline kicked in, and Willbanks immediately reacted

Image

Holding the two-foot-long alligator wasn’t so hard. To put things in context, a four-foot alligator can be a real threat in the wild.

The hard part of the battle was forcing the animal’s jaws open. The brave retiree first grabbed the alligator and carried it out to dry land. Then he pushed his hands into the animal’s mouth and started applying force to open it.

He managed to open the mouth wide enough for Gunner to be able to flee. The pup escaped with just one puncture wound, but his owner’s hands had multiple bite marks and injuries.

The skirmish was captured by a wildlife camera put there by the Florida Wildlife Federation and the fSTOP Foundation. The objective is to capture videos of wildlife for their campaign called Sharing The Landscape. It intends to help people understand and acknowledge the flora and fauna they live near to.

He pulled the young alligator out of the pond and forced open its jaws to release the puppy

Image

The young two-foot-long alligator wasn’t difficult to pull out, but making him opens its mouth open was hard

Image

The young two-foot-long alligator wasn’t difficult to pull out, but making him opens its mouth open was hard .

“We live on a shared landscape,” said 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.”

Regardless of his dog’s near-death clash with the alligator, Wilbanks endorses the initiative and its purpose, and he wouldn’t want the alligator to be relocated because they’re a part of the environment and a part of our lives.

So now, every time he takes his dog out for a walk, he’s keeping him on a leash and at a safe distance from the pond’s edge.

The Florida Wildlife Federation and the fSTOP Foundation shared this footage with the media

Video

When they go out for walks now, Gunner is always on a leash and at a safe distance from the pond’s edge

Image

People were applauding this senior citizen for being a hero and coming to his dog’s rescue. Some indicated that he’s the textbook example of badass, not only because he saved his puppy, but because he didn’t drop his cigar all through the struggle.