The terrifying incident could have ended much worse. Image Credit: YouTube / Theresa Wiseman
A zoo visitor in Utah recently saved a handler by literally jumping into an alligator's tank to wrestle the animal.
In a chilling reminder of just how dangerous alligators can be, handler Lindsay Bull of Scales and Tails Utah was badly injured at the weekend when one of the animals latched onto her hand and wouldn't let go.
Video footage of the incident shows her struggling with the alligator before jumping into the water to prevent her arm being ripped off by its jaws. As the struggle continues, the alligator rolls over, forcing her to wrap her body around the animal and be dunked underwater.
Fortunately however, one of the visitors to the zoo that day - Donnie Wiseman - quickly jumped on top of the alligator and held it down to stop it from further twisting Bull's arm.
After a tense stand-off, the creature eventually let go, allowing her to withdraw to safety.
In a post thanking those who risked themselves during the incident, the zoo wrote:
"Working with some of these animals has inherent risks that we as the staff accept. Yesterday, the sort of event that we hope never happens happened. One of our gator handlers got bitten by our large alligator and things took a bad turn. 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."
Bull, who suffered broken bones during her ordeal, is now recovering in hospital.
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