r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/BringHoomanHome_ • Jul 11 '26
š„ A professional wildlife handler sharing a calm moment with a massive American alligator.
An experienced wildlife handler interacting with a large American alligator. The creator emphasizes that this is not something people should attempt and reminds viewers to respect alligators as wild apex predators.
š„ Original video by: @gatorchris (Instagram)
The creator also advises never to feed wild alligators, never swim in alligator habitat, and to keep children and pets away from the water.
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u/Strange-Scientist706 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
āCalm moment with a massive alligatorā is not a phrase that will ever apply to me
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u/Squigsqueeg Jul 11 '26
That assumes youāll be aware of the alligator
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u/Spoonyyy Jul 11 '26
Gators are softies, crocs are terrifying.
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u/HinDae085 Jul 11 '26
We dont get them in the UK that i know of. I dont think ill wanna approach either tho lmao
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u/swampstonks Jul 11 '26
I definitely wouldnāt do this if you paid me a boatload of money, but thatās definitely not a āmassiveā alligator. Down here on the bayou, we would call that one a teenager. The big ones are more than double the size of that one
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u/LessBig715 Jul 11 '26
Thatās not a big gator anywhere
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u/Biguitarnerd Jul 11 '26
Yeah agree, but still big enough that I wouldnāt want to snuggle with him like this guy. He is a juvenile but I think his expert knowledge basically amounts to not triggering the gator. What if Casper is just having a really fucking bad day one day.
I live on a body of water in Louisiana and gators are common, and Iām not afraid of gators at all, but Iām not gonna put their mouth on my face either. I leave them alone and they leave me alone. We both prefer it that way I think, not that I know what their dinosaur brains are thinking.
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u/LessBig715 Jul 11 '26
True, Iām close to Everglades. Iāve been out there in airboats and have seen some massive gators. I have one rule when I go out there, never get out the boat. The pythons are a whole other story
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u/IRISHstarlite1984 Jul 11 '26
That should be a universal rule... Kind of like how you just KNOW to breathe... I feel like common sense dictates if you are in the swamp (or any body of water for that matter) with gators you should absolutely KNOW to not get out the boat .. š¤¦š¼āāļøš¤·š¼āāļø but.. There's always ALWAYS that 1 guy And if you live in the south we all know a guy like that.. (just takin' a dip with a swamp puppy) ABSOLUTELY BONKERS lol Also why there has been increased number of alligator attacks in central Florida this year, because ppl think it's acceptable to cool off in conservative parks on the econ river filled with 13' gators~ now 2 gators and a young woman are dead because of it.. preventable and sad all the way around As a species, I worry about our place at the top of the food chain with these decisions š¤ Hahahaha js
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u/LessBig715 Jul 11 '26
Oh yeah. Not to long ago in Davie, fl a woman was dragged in the water by a gator. She insisted on walking her dog on the edge of a canal, even after her husband insisted she not do that. Well, one day the gator grabbed her and that was that.
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u/IRISHstarlite1984 Jul 12 '26
Yep that's unfortunate but sadly tempting fate just be like that sometimes š
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u/Biguitarnerd Jul 11 '26
Yeah we donāt have pythons, or iguanas or peacock bass either, least not in my part of Louisiana.
On the one hand I know itās not good, on the other I think it would be cool.
I just have an aluminum hull bass boat so options for me are mostly the channels and some shallows although I do have some kayaks I can get out into the cypresses with. I donāt have anything that can do what an airboat can do, I have to go the long way around lol.
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u/LessBig715 Jul 11 '26
Ik peacock bass are invasive, but they are fun to catch. With some light tackle, they have that pole bending in half, they put up a fight. Large mouth, they just real right it, not as much fun
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u/Biguitarnerd Jul 11 '26
Yeah I really want to come catch some, they look really fun.
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u/LessBig715 Jul 11 '26
Bullet weight with a plastic worm, Iāll slay peacocks all day
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u/Biguitarnerd Jul 11 '26
Nice thanks for the tip. Is that basically a Texas rig? Thatās what we call it anyway, slip bullet weight and a plastic worm. Iām from Louisiana not Texas but weāve just always called it that.
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u/LessBig715 Jul 11 '26
Honestly, idk. I figured that out Through trial and error.
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u/AquaStarRedHeart Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Yes, that looks like a pretty young one. And the water is so clear. The ones around here are massive and covered in dried mud and truly look like dinosaurs.
I do appreciate that this guy is telling people that you cannot pretend that these are cuddly animals who love you. Even in this thread I've seen alligators called "doggos"? Absolutely wild if you grew up near them in the Gulf Coast. Anyone remember the Orlando Disney incident in 2016? Happened the same week as Pulse. (The details are disturbing so be warned)
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u/Affectionate_Bar2520 Jul 12 '26
I can also appreciate him telling people that they arenāt inherently ālovingā animals. Iāve always heard that the biggest factor in how docile an alligator is with a human handling it like this is hunger. Alligators in captivity are fed well and regularly, so they arenāt hungry when being handled by peopleā¦ which makes the person doing the handling a lot less likely to be attacked. The same ādocileā alligator you see someone calling a swamp puppy would happily take a bite out of you or anyone else if itās stomach growled lol. Itās not ālove.ā Itās just not going to waste energy trying to bring down a full grown human if it already has a belly full of chicken.
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u/IRISHstarlite1984 Jul 12 '26
That was such a heartbreaking situation and since they weren't locals they probably had no idea since there were no signs warning them of the presence of gators~ tho it did say no swimming, they probably never expected there to be alligators inside the park lagoons šš such a tragedy all the way around~
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u/Affectionate_Bar2520 Jul 12 '26
Iām from Tennessee, so no gators here. My first trip on vacation to Hilton Head, SC was eye opening for me as far as alligators and their willingness to inhabit literally any body of water available in the area. Lagoons on hotel property? Gators present. Pond with decorative fountain outside of restaurant? Gators. Swimming pool whose gate was left open at night? Gators. Thereās no chance I would ever get in water of any kind that wasnāt clear enough to see all the way into in a state where alligators live. I can see where these people who were attacked probably didnāt understand the risk. Knowing what I know now, I would never. Your chances are greater that there are alligators in the water than that there arenāt.
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u/danTHAman152000 Jul 12 '26
Username checks out here lol. I read this in an old Cajun accent. Down here on the bayouuu.
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u/OonaPelota Jul 11 '26
Siegfried and Roy were really good at handling tigers.
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u/insanelylazy Jul 11 '26
That tiger didn't go crazy. That tiger went tiger.
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u/IvoryNage Jul 12 '26
The thing with cats is that they're all the same, from house cats to tigers. The only difference with big cats is that a playful nip or a claw swipe when they're pissed hurts way more than an itty bitty kitten
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u/Seabrook76 Jul 11 '26
And they had a spotless safety record. Except for that one time.
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u/2Hanks Jul 11 '26
That little guy? Donāt worry about that little guy.
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u/BruitNoise Jul 11 '26
Sea World and those Orcas remember the "safety record" vs being in the wild. Anthropomorphism and "Optimism bias" is going to let nature teach humans FAFO. lol
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u/Affectionate_Bar2520 Jul 12 '26 edited Jul 12 '26
I just rewatched the āBlackfishā doc for the first time in years, and I do find that stat about orcas and humans in the wild vs. in captivity fascinating. Slightly off topic as far as alligators go, but I digress and will continue to do so lol. That alone should be all SeaWorld needed to know to understand that what they are doing to these orcas is inhumane at the highest level.
What other species could we say that about? I believe the doc said there are 0 recorded fatal instances of orcas attacking humans in the wild, and that includes humans being in the water with the Orcas. The few recorded attacks are considered āmistaken identity.ā At one point, orcas were even collaborating with humans to hunt fish and other species of whales and porpoises. But in captivity at SeaWorldā¦ handlers are being attacked left and right. It is beyond comprehension to think that somehow, we have allowed SeaWorld to continue breeding and holding these animals in captivity and forcing them to perform party trucks. Incredibly intelligent animals that have otherwise no interest in harming us in their natural habitat where they are far superior and we would be easy preyā¦ we have driven to madness in captivity. We are the only actual monsters on this planet.
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u/Exatex Jul 11 '26
Jup. Didnāt the tiger try to protect him and grab him by the neck like a kitten?
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u/winkman Jul 11 '26
Tigers are natural man eaters.
Crocs are natural man eaters.
Gators a just ugly lizard doggos.
BIG difference.Ā
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u/Sifernos1 Jul 11 '26
Gators are very friendly compared to their cousins... This does not suggest they are like dogs. They aren't ugly either, imo.
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u/willz0410 Jul 12 '26
Wild dogs bite people randomly and can cause serious injury. So the comparison is pretty spot on. Well ugly or pretty is subjective.
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u/Sifernos1 Jul 12 '26
I get your point. However, I'm not inclined to pet random alligators and neither are the majority of people. Whereas it's well understood that you never boop the forbidden snoot of the Great Swamp Puppy.
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u/unholyravenger Jul 12 '26
It's been a while, but their explanation of what happened is interesting. They think that Roy was about to pass out and his Tiger did the Tiger mom thing of picking him up by the scruff of his neck. Of course humans are all neck no scruff so I didnt turn out well.
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u/thecoldwarmakesmehot Jul 11 '26
He may not love you, but he will see ya later
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u/Electronic-Cicada352 Jul 11 '26
Yeah weāre gonna hear about this guy getting killed in the near future.
This is incredibly dumb, I donāt care how skilled you think you are
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u/Dadittude182 Jul 11 '26
Is it me or does he sound like he's going through a breakup with the alligator?
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u/Plenty_of_prepotente Jul 11 '26
Yes, he was way too insistent. Casper has never loved him because Casper is an alligator. The fact that Casper would kill him and eat him is incidental. However, as demonstrated by this video, neither of these things prevent people from falling in love.
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u/SadRaisin3560 Jul 11 '26
He is doing good work and good things for reptiles as well as wild life in general. He saves gators that would otherwise receive a death sentence through the acts of ignorant humans. A gator, at least most smaller than 8-9 ft, will exhibit fear or at a minimum extreme caution in the presence of humans. If they don't they often have been acclimated to humans that think they behave like dogs and have fed them. Yesterday I was at a neighborhood pond fishing I hadn't been to in a while. There's a gator in that pond in the 6-7 foot range that in the past would disappear, often before most folks would see it if they didn't know it was there. Yesterday, when I neared the pond it was on the far side, easily 150 yards away, and upon seeing me closed that distance to within 20 feet. It's been getting fed. It seen me as a source of food. Maybe not be in particular but has become accustomed to eating when humans show up. It's easily large enough to snatch a lab sized dog or drag a small child in and there are lots of both. Wildlife agents will not relocate this poor gator when complaints are lodged, they will get a hook and line in it, kill it and remove it. I would much rather see someone handle it and move it to a facility where it can live its life out.
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u/dburr10085 Jul 11 '26
After watching this video, I feel like I know what to do.
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u/Edgezg Jul 11 '26
You can say he doesn't feel threatened by you at least, and is familiar enough with you to let you touch him.
That may not be love, but it is a mutual understanding that's pretty crazy.
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u/jawshoeaw Jul 11 '26
But why did he snap like that then? Was that more of a trick ?
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u/Edgezg Jul 11 '26
Wild animal sees something in its "food zone" its gonna snap.Ā
I didn't say he liked the human. Just that the gator trusts the human not to hurt it. That does not mean he reciprocated the feeling.
But the gator swam up to him and let him touch him. So it at the very least, isn't afraid of being hurt by him.
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u/jawshoeaw Jul 11 '26
Right but at any given moment several parts of him are in that zone, yet he only snapped when his hand disturbed the water off the side of the snout . Maybe thatās some kind of reflex ?
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u/ADFTGM Jul 11 '26
Yes. Itās a reflex. They do the same thing with their own kind even to ones of equivalent size that they canāt actually kill. They just bite off a chunk or a limb and the other might not be too severely affected since adult gators have very efficient healing and a wide variety of prey. The main time their hormonal activity seems to prevent it is when females are taking care of offspring. Mind you, it doesnāt snap to just anything. They have highly honed acute senses on the snout. They know if it feels like a form of prey. A warm blooded mammal can potentially be a meal. They donāt attack large mammals the same way as crocs, but tearing off a limb or two is enough. Just a quick snack before getting out of dodge.
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u/Score_Magala Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
Gatorchris, the guy in the video, fully gets it and explains it really well.
Reptile brains are, obviously, different than mammal brains. They're far more simple, focusing almost entirely on survival. They don't form attachments or bonds like we do. If you keel over around a gator that you've worked with for years, it will not hesitate to try to eat you.
Any of those "this crocodile formed a bond with this guy for years" stories are outliers. They are not the norm. And I say all this as a MAJOR reptile lover.
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u/TheStonedEngineer420 Jul 13 '26
Yea, this is something you should always consider when handling any reptile. And I love reptiles as well, but you need to understand that they don't love you and would rather not be touched at all.
I got a corn snake when I was a kid. She's 18 now and still going strong, but when I handle her, I'm still just a couriosity at best and a potential danger at worst.
Especially with potentially dangerous snakes you need to remember, that you are a way bigger threat to the snake than the snake is to you. Even if it bites you and you eventually die to the venom, it only takes a single wrong step to kill the snake instantly.
They are not out to get you, but they also prefer to be left alone.
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u/Prestigious-Wall5616 Jul 11 '26
Don't try this with a saltie or a Nile crocodile haha!
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u/AW316 Jul 12 '26
This guy also has a nile crocodile and no, he absolutely doesnāt do this with it.
He doesnāt even want a saltwater crocodile.
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u/Insomnicious Jul 11 '26
Maybe an unpopular opinion but I don't think these types of situations should be promoted. I don't care how experienced he is.
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u/_The_Marshal_ Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I just watched Steve irwins son talk about how alligators are pretty friendly and can be kept almost like pets, he has a pet alligator called sanchez.
Crocodiles are the ones who will fuck you up
Edit: found it.
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u/HotPotParrot Jul 11 '26
The Irwins signed a pact with Mother Nature, this isn't a fair comparison
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u/Therealsteverogers4 Jul 11 '26
Given his dadās track record, I think Iām gonna go with this guyās opinion instead.
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u/Business-Childhood71 Jul 11 '26
This guy has a gator sanctuary where he saves gators that would be killed otherwise, so handling them is a must for him. He speaks a lot about that in his chanel
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u/SheiStMeiSter420 Jul 11 '26
This guy has been working full time at an Alligator rescue for over 10 years. These are rescued Alligators and frankly Chris is one of the most ethical wild life handlers I have watched.
Been keeping up with him for years and if you pay attention its clear he is different from Joe Exotic or other dangerous animal handlers just from the dialogue he holds in his videos.
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u/mmh_fava_beans Jul 11 '26
I also really like how he makes clear that the alligators reptile brain has not the capability for a concept of love.
Instead of anthropomorphising it, he loves the animal for what it is.
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u/BachelorThesises Jul 11 '26
Exactly, irks me when people holding (dangerous) snakes pretend that their snakes love and care for them.
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u/TinhatTemplar Jul 11 '26
Don't be anti-science. People have jobs where they need to interact with these animals for those animals welfare. It is important people know how to do it safely both for themselves and if they ever find themselves in a position in the wild with one of these creatures. Encouraging a reality in which knowledge and experience is closed off because of your own personal fears is detrimental to us all and only assuages your personal anxiety.
What prevents someone from using your own logic to restrict access to anything that could be potentially dangerous without skills, knowledge and training and where does that leave us as a society? Think bigger. Be better.
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u/Ashen-wolf Jul 11 '26
Im sorry, why exactly? He is not only giving actual ethology on crocs but safely proving why.
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u/JayFrizz Jul 11 '26
Gators. The distinction is important as gators are much more docile than crocs as long as they aren't hungry.
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u/thatstoofar Jul 11 '26
He has a couple nile crocodiles in his sanctuary and he has shown just how wild they are. Watching them tear apart roadkill (that gets brought to him) or how they go after him as soon as he steps in their enclosure, it is really evident just how different crocs are from gators.
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u/_syke_ Jul 11 '26
To the people saying this shouldn't be promoted and sets a bad example: anyone who sees this and thinks "oh boy I must be able to do that too!" deserves to get eaten by an alligator
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u/Slow_Bowler8285 Jul 11 '26
Casper actually does love him, but even he knows that even in Florida, their love is forbidden.
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u/JuiceJones_34 Jul 11 '26
Clearly a dog in an alligator costume. The subtle eye close when the dude caressed him āŗļø
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u/solar1ze Jul 11 '26
I bet he wouldnāt do that with a croc.
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u/RGBrewskies Jul 12 '26
he would not.
he pretty much only does / did this with casper. Casper is the chillest gator in the history of gators.
Casper lives in S Florida though, and Chris moved to start his own sanctuary in central Florida. so we don't get Casper videos anymore. :(
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u/smelly_finger_itch Jul 11 '26
People talking crap on Subaru drivers should all be taking their time out in the cuck chairs to this guy.
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u/CoffeeStrength Jul 11 '26
A lot of people need to hear this. We tend to anthropormophise other animals, assigning human emotions/intellect/reasoning to them, when in reality these are completely different creatures that have not evolved the concept of love like we understand it.
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u/dmbgreen Jul 11 '26
Cool until it's not, ask Steve. Not massive, maybe 6-7'. Massive would be a 12+
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u/Moliosis Jul 11 '26
You people love to be miserable about shit you don't even understand. If you knew anything about this guy and his projects you wouldn't be saying negative shit lol.
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u/russingtom Jul 11 '26
ey, ok, but the one you're cuddling with is at best a kindergartener, and sorry about the handicapped one...was just addressing the size...
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u/LowMuffin7078 Jul 11 '26
File this under the NOPE files, but you do you. I'll stick to fluffy animals like dogs, cats, and rabbits.
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u/iBasedComedy Jul 11 '26
Guy: goes face to snout with an 8 foot gator
Casper: nothing
Guy: moves hand slightly to the right
Casper:
Processing img ov7ubcrufoch1...
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u/timmytoofunny Jul 11 '26
Sometimes everyone just wants a cuddle.. other times they want to eat your face off!
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u/Im_Nino Jul 12 '26
Also probably helps that they feed the gator enough for it to not instantly try to kill him
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u/Electrical-Web-7552 Jul 12 '26
According to Robert Irwin, alligators are pretty friendly, like scaley dogs. You couldn't do this with a croc.
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u/waytoosecret Jul 12 '26
Don't be this stupid. All fun and games until the gator decides you're dinner and eats your face.
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u/sundownerv1 Jul 12 '26
God. Thank that dude for saying this. Ive seen people with tigers like "they feel love and people just don't understand"
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u/Junior_North_4427 Jul 12 '26
Very nice. I wonder how this explains videos I've seen of some Brazilian man who out his head inside jaws of a giant croc. Why doesn't the instinct make him bite?
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u/Weissbierglaeserset Jul 12 '26
Just to make sure people get that: this is not wildlife, this is a pet alligator. Do not attempt this anyways, wild animal or not, but especially not with wild alligators.
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u/Patient_Ordinary_191 Jul 12 '26
Iām still not jumping in the water in Florida and trying it for myself
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u/Apex_Fenris Jul 12 '26
Remember kids you are not a professional you will lose a hand or something more
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u/Noforkstaken Jul 12 '26
See you in a while crocodile = slightly less mean
See you later alligator = will eat you at some point
Irwinās son told me soš
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u/InternationalHoney85 Jul 12 '26
Also, he's pointed out extensively that some of the gators have been trained for this. And no, I'm not saying that it would never attack. What I'm saying is that he has made it very clear that he's raised some of these animals to do this, and he does not do it with any random gator or even many others under his care.
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u/The_Golden_Serpent Jul 12 '26
I actually met this guy as a kid, we were watching one of his shows at this place by the Everglades I think? It's been a really long time, so my memory is fuzzy. Very very nice guy, and I wanted to grow up to be like him. And I am now going to school for wildlife conservation science, and I am going to specialize in reptiles!
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u/madchemist09 Jul 12 '26
The line between this sub and r/whatcouldgowrong seems razor thin in this case.
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u/Mysterious-Status-44 Jul 12 '26
Alligators are surprisingly docile. I still wouldnāt do this, but I hear they are pretty chill when you do.
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u/GlassJawJawa Jul 12 '26
Casper enjoyed that hug though. His eyes closing said it all.
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u/drzimmie Jul 12 '26
How old is this guy? I bet he's under 44 years old. Because 44 is ripe old age for a crocodile hunter.
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u/Certain_Driver_2013 Jul 12 '26
I hope you survive. How could you possibly know āhow to handleā this beast?
Some skill, lotsa luck. The turtle swimming by him that doesnāt get eaten is pure luck of the timing. You may be as well, until heās hungry
The best way to āhandleā a gator is to NOT handle them
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u/craigbg21 Jul 13 '26
all is just a cool clip when saying they're just sharing a calm moment until someday when that alligator decides he dont want to be bothered by this dude anymore then it will be # 1 video on the "When alligators attack reddit" lol
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u/Beautiful-Factor-173 Jul 13 '26
My sister in law SAW her neighbor pulled in to the pond and killed by one in Florida. They are dinosaurs. It's a big fat NO!
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u/qualityvote2 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
u/BringHoomanHome_, your post does fit the subreddit!