Florida is known for its brave and fierce people. Every now and then I encounter stories online about something brave Floridians do.
Today’s story is about such a man, who fought an alligator with his bare hands, all while smoking a cigar!
Richard Willbanks, a retired senior citizen, was enjoying his afternoon in the company of his adorable Cocker Spaniel named Gunner.
The two were walking down a path they had taken hundreds of times before, not aware of the danger lurking from the nearby water.
Richard’s dog was walking around without a leash, and the curious little thing got too close to the water. In just a matter of seconds, Richard heard his beloved canine friend crying for help.
He rushed down to the water and what he saw turned his world upside down. An alligator jumped out of the water and snatched his beloved Gunner, as Richard said in the video:
“He just came out like a missile!”
Without hesitation, Richard jumped into the water to save his dog Gunner from a fatal outcome. This brave man grappled the alligator and opened his jaw, hoping to free his canine companion.
While Richard was holding onto the alligator, Gunner managed to wriggle his way out. The sweet boy had one bad bite, but his dad’s hands were completely chewed up.
This courageous man didn’t mind it at all – as long as his dog was safe and sound. All of this was recorded through the cameras placed around by the Florida Wildlife Federation.
These cameras usually capture adorable wild animals in their natural habitat, but this time around it captured Richard’s amazing fight against an alligator!
Little Gunner recovered quickly, but from that day on the poor soul was afraid of water. His dad Richard keeps him on a leash nowadays, preventing any possible disaster. This certainly was a learning curve for Richard and the scars on his hand will forever remind him to be aware of his surroundings!