Shocking footage shows the moment a visitor to a zoo in Utah had to jump into an alligator enclosure to help a trainer whose arm was clamped in the creature's jaws.
Lindsay Bull had worked with the alligator, who was given the incredible name of Darth Gator, at Scales and Tails Utah in West Valley City for three and a half years before the incident took place.
Warning, some viewers might find this video distressing.
On the day the footage was filmed, Bull was in the enclosure with the alligator to help entertain visitors with a child's birthday party.
Bull knew the gator well enough to give him multiple commands, including 'come', 'stay' and 'open', and he'd even been taught to let Bull kiss him on the face, so the trainer likely wasn't worried as she got near him in the tank.
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However, the footage shows the moment the alligator clamped down onto Bull's hand, forcing her into the enclosure and into the water with him.
Horrified adults ushered the children away from the scene as Bull attempted to get her arm free, while one of the visitors, later identified as Donnie Wiseman, jumped into action by calling for help and getting into the enclosure to help her.
Quick-thinking Wiseman managed to climb on the gator's back to prevent it from thrashing around as they awaited help, and eventually Bull was able to be pulled from the tank before Wiseman escaped as well.
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Wiseman later told The Gephardt Daily that he got on the alligator 'like in all the movies and documentaries' he'd seen.
“I’m so glad I was there to help that girl, because she was in trouble… But she’s the real hero, she was so well trained on what to do, and so professional," he said.
Scenes from the shocking incident have gained millions of views after being shared on X this week, though they were actually filmed in 2021.
Thankfully Bull's hand remained in tact after the incident, though she did require surgery and physical therapy after being left with a damaged tendon and multiple fractures, including a broken wrist and thumb.
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In an interview with Deseret News, Bull expressed belief that the gator had got carried away when she attempted to give him a piece of food.
“What happened is he knew he was getting food, he got touched on the face and he bit down,” she said.
“For all he knew it was a piece of chicken, so he grabbed it.”
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But despite the fact the alligator almost made a meal out of Bull's arm, she made clear she didn't hold a grudge.
“Oh, I love him. He is like a member of my family,” she said.
“That is true of everybody who works there. Everybody loves Darth.”
Bull added that as long as Darth Gator was in the care of Scales and Tails Utah, 'no consequences [were] going to happen to him'.
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"He was just doing what an animal does,” she said.
Emily Brown