A Florida man saved his dog in style, snatching it from the jaws of an alligator without dropping his cigar.
The video of Richard Wilbanks, 74, went viral, showing him jump into a pond to pull his 3-month-old puppy, Gunner, away from the alligator.
"We were just out walking by the pond," Wilbanks said, according to People. "It came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick."
Wilbanks said that he “automatically” jumped in to save his dog, wrestling with the small alligator, which he claimed was no problem.
He did find it “extremely hard” to pry open the gator’s jaws.
A camera put in place by the Florida Wildlife Federation in conjunction with the fStop Foundation captured the incident.
Wilbanks said his hands were “chewed up” by the encounter, and he had a tetanus shot just to be safe.
Gunner, meanwhile, had a single puncture wound to its stomach. The puppy is healing well after a trip to the vet’s office.
From Fox News
The video of Richard Wilbanks, 74, went viral, showing him jump into a pond to pull his 3-month-old puppy, Gunner, away from the alligator.
"We were just out walking by the pond," Wilbanks said, according to People. "It came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick."
Wilbanks said that he “automatically” jumped in to save his dog, wrestling with the small alligator, which he claimed was no problem.
He did find it “extremely hard” to pry open the gator’s jaws.
A camera put in place by the Florida Wildlife Federation in conjunction with the fStop Foundation captured the incident.
Wilbanks said his hands were “chewed up” by the encounter, and he had a tetanus shot just to be safe.
Gunner, meanwhile, had a single puncture wound to its stomach. The puppy is healing well after a trip to the vet’s office.
From Fox News