Topics: Animals, Steve Irwin, US News, Parenting
When a dad over in the US was faced with an alligator outside of his home during the school run, he channelled his inner Steve Irwin to overcome the scaled beast.
Mike Trinh, who owns a seafood restaurant in Texas, was informed about the gator by his youngest daughter Caitlyn after she spotted it out on their front doorstep.
Speaking to CNN’s KPRC-TV, he said that he assumed it was a hilarious ploy to get out of going to school.
"As she's about to go to the car, she runs back saying there's an alligator at the front door. I'm thinking she's playing,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
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But when he popped his head out the door, lo and behold, there was a creature blocking their way.
Since it was Caitlyn’s first day of middle school, he was not going to let the animal stop him from getting her there.
Mike continued: "All my years watching Steve Irwin, I figured I can deal with any wildlife as long as it ain't a stingray.”
The news outlet explained that the Houston-based dad had learned a few tips after years of watching the Crocodile Hunter himself, starting with throwing towels over the gator’s head to try and calm it down.
The first couple missed, but eventually Mike was able to get one to stick before climbing onto its back and holding its mouth closed.
He then got his 19-year-old daughter to help him secure the large reptile’s mouth shut using duct and jiu-jitsu tape.
And of course he decided to capture the events on camera, telling reporters: “Nobody’s going to believe me if I told them this.”
Eventually, Mike and a friend got the alligator onto the back of a truck and transported it to a nearby pond where they removed the tape and released it back into the wild, leaving the restaurant owner free to carry on with his morning duties.
He ended by saying: “I crossed it off my bucket list, I wrestled an alligator today.” Steve Irwin would be proud.
That being said, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has since issued a statement to CNN warning others to call them if they find themselves in a similar situation, rather than try to deal with it on their own.
The statement reads: "Alligators are common in parts of Texas but have a natural fear of humans and will typically retreat when approached.
"However, people who encounter a potential nuisance alligator in a non-emergency situation should call Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Law Enforcement Communications dispatch centre."
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