Man jumps into alligator enclosure to save worker being attacked
Thomas McDonald
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A man is being hailed as a hero for jumping into an alligator enclosure to help a female worker being attacked by an alligator.
“Hey, we got trouble here! Hey, we got trouble!” Donnie Wiseman yelled as he jumped into action, diving on top of the alligator, attempting to free the female worker’s arm in the grasps of the reptile’s mouth.
Children and other guests watched in horror as a female worker at Scales & Tails in Salt Lake City was attacked while feeding the reptile. She was bitten in the hand and dragged into the water and pulled into a death roll.
The handler was opening the enclosure to feed the alligator as usual and didn’t break any protocols according to the company’s owner, Shane Richins. He says this time the reptile “got a little extra spunky.”
After dragging the worker into the water in its pen, the alligator began whipping around with its jaw clamped tight on the worker’s arm as she struggled to break free. Wiseman ran into the enclosure, jumped on the alligator’s back and began wrestling with it. Another man was then able to pull the worker to safety while Wiseman remained straddled on top of it.
“I’m just like, ‘What do I do? What do I need to do,'” Wiseman, 48, recalled thinking during the horrific scene. “And I got on him, just like in all the movies and documentaries I’ve seen.”
“I’m glad he wasn’t any bigger,’ Wiseman said. “We would have been in trouble. I would say he was about seven feet. I’m 6’3′, and he had me beat by a bit.”
“These gentlemen 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 company said in a statement. “Their help, combined with the training of our staff member, probably saved her life and her limbs,” they added.
The worker is reportedly doing well after receiving surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
Reactions to the video spread across social media.
“This is what an Alpha male does regardless of his race, ethnicity, size, strength or risk involved. These men are needed in society to keep others safe and the country protected,” Steve Lodge said.
“Or… Don’t keep animals in a tiny cage for your entertainment,” said another.
“This gave me goosebumps!! Good job for the man that decided to jump in and help!!! what a hero!!” replied someone else.
“Thank GOD for brave civilians!!!! That man helped her- abs [sic] she was a BOSS the way she was able to remain the way she did! Glad everyone is OK at the end- poor kids are traumatized BUT valuable lesson for them regarding gators,” said another.