Yahoo News Worker Has to Dodge Hungry Gator During Feeding Time at Reptile Park
A staff member at a Colorado reptile rescue park had to move fast to escape the jaws of a huge alligator during feeding time recently.
Footage by Claire Menegatti shows Colorado Gator Farm employee Chad’s near miss while feeding a turkey to Elvis, a 12-foot, 600-pound resident alligator.
According to a Facebook post by the park, the turkey missed Elvis’s mouth, causing the hungry reptile to lunge where he saw the motion.
“It’s crazy how quickly doing an educational demonstration can turn dangerous. As you can see, Elvis wanted to eat the turkey Chad was offering,” it said.
“When the turkey didn’t land in his mouth, Elvis was focused on where he saw movement,” the post continued. “It’s why whenever working with large reptile it’s always good to have a backup with you.”
Luckily for Chad, he was able to move out of Elvis’s way quickly and unharmed, while another colleague intervened. Credit: Claire Menegatti via Storyful
Video transcript
- You want me to just toss it next to the space?
- [INAUDIBLE].
- Woo.
- Woo.
- Oh, boy.
- Woo.
- Hey, hey. Easy, boy. Calm down. Calm down. I told you guys it might be his last appearance.
[LAUGHTER]
- He missed the turkey. He's like, I smell it, where's it at?
- It's right underneath him.
- Easy, boy. Calm down. I don't have it. [INAUDIBLE], tell me you got that. Somebody send us that video.
[LAUGHTER]
- Seriously, send me that.
- I've got a good one, Elvis.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
- --losing to Chad yet or a leg.
- Elvis, you're going to sit on this.
- He's a beast, huh? Moves a lot faster than you expect too, doesn't he?
- Oh, yeah, a lot faster than [INAUDIBLE] does.
- All right, back up into the water. Good boy. The turkey's right next to you. You'll smell it when you get down there. Boy, he was excited. That got my heart going if. It was me--
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
- He got it. Yay, Elvis.
- He's that excited. Here, we got [INAUDIBLE] going now?
- No.
- I can't access the camera. Why not?
- Your phone too hot? Mine got too hot, and it shut down my camera.
