A petting zoo thanked a man for his heroism after he jumped on an alligator to save a handler who was caught in its jaws.
Donnie Wiseman was visiting the Scales and Tails petting zoo in West Valley, Utah on Saturday for a 5-year-old’s birthday party when he encountered a 8-foot alligator named “Darth Gator,” KUTV reported.
The gator’s handler, identified as Lindsay Bull by the Salt Lake Tribune, opened the door to feed the reptile in a small pool, when it bit her hand and wouldn’t let go.
Bull told the Salt Lake Tribune she realized the gator was about to do the famous “death roll” and decided to roll with it to save her arm.
Before the alligator could do another roll, Wiseman jumped on the gator’s back in an attempt to help the trainer. His wife caught the entire incident on video.
Although he was scared, the calm demeanor of Bull helped him calm down and she asked for him to talk to her while they waited for animal to release her.
“She was so professional and trained and knew what to do in a situation like that, I’m glad she was there,” Wiseman told KUTV.
The gator eventually let go of the Bull’s hand and another spectator named Todd Christopher helped her out of the water before she instructed Wiseman out of the enclosure as he removed himself from the animal’s back.
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Wiseman said once things were under control, he went out to smoke a cigarette. Bull was taken to a hospital with injuries to her hand that required surgery.
“I got lucky to land in a hospital that employs what has to be the best orthopedic surgeon in Utah. He was able to improvise and come up with a solution that should result in full use of my hand,” Bull said in a statement through Scales and Tails, according to KUTV.
In a Facebook post, the petting zoo thanked Wiseman and Christopher for jumping into action to save the handler.
“These gentleman could have stayed in the safety zone as most of us would, but instead jumped into the situation, of their own volition, and helped secure the alligator,” the post read.
“Their help, combined with the training of our staff member, probably saved her life and her limbs.”
Bull is currently in recovery and isn’t holding anything against “Darth Gator.”
“I told my buddies that now Darth and I are literally one because he’s got my blood running through his veins,” she told the Salt Lake Tribune.
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Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: [email protected].
