Florida man uses wild method to remove alligator from swimming pool
A Florida man with a history of catching alligators used a surprising method to remove one of the creatures from a swimming pool.
Paul Bedard, a celebrity animal trapper, who starred on the Animal Planet show "Gator Boys," was called to a house in Parkland, Fla., last Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
Bedard, who works with the state's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP), eventually lifted the nearly 9-foot gator above his head and out of the pool — but not before a little playtime.
The trapper said on his Instagram page that he managed to remove the animal after jumping in the water to "play around with him until he's tired."
A post shared by Paul Bedard (@gatorboysalligatorrescue) on Oct 15, 2019 at 6:14pm PDT
Bedard described the alligator as "super mellow," telling his followers that he managed to put a snare on its mouth once the animal wore itself out. From there, he taped him up and carried him out of the pool.
While the plan might seem unusual, it's an approach Bedard said he took for the gator's own good.
"I didn't want to pull him out of the water until he was tired, because he'll usually go into a death roll and smash himself up on the concrete or, if he's not taped, bite the concrete or something," his Instagram post read.
The alligator, which Bedard named Cool Hand Luke, after the 1967 Paul Newman film of the same name, ended up weighing 185 pounds. Cool Hand Luke will now be transported back to safety in the Everglades, People reported.
Bedard's rescue comes just days before National Reptile Awareness Day, which is Monday, Oct. 21. In honor of the holiday, the trapper shared an Instagram post from himself and a gator named "Big Papi."
A post shared by Paul Bedard (@gatorboysalligatorrescue) on Oct 21, 2019 at 9:52am PDT