This Man Jumped Into A Pond To Rescue His Puppy From An Alligator And He's A Hero

This guy jumped into a pond and wrestled an alligator to save his little puppy, and the whole this was caught on camera!

Richard Wilbanks was walking with his 3-month-old King Charles Cavalier spaniel puppy, Gunner, near a pond around his house, when a young alligator sprang out of the water and grabbed the pup.

Before Richard could even realize what was going on, the gator had swiftly dragged little Gunner down into the pond, below the surface of the water.

Richard didn’t even have to think twice. His adrenaline started pumping, and he sprang into action. He jumped into the pond, grabbed the gator by the head, and opened its steel-trap jaws.

Gunner, who was obviously stunned, jumped from the alligators mouth as Richard pried its jaws open.

Don’t mess with Richard’s pup, right?!?

My favorite part of the whole thing is that Richard doesn’t lose his cigar in the process. He is a true superhero!

“We were just out walking by the pond,” Wilbanks told CNN, “and it came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick.”
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Now, this is Florida we are talking about. The incident happened in Estero, near South Florida’s Gulf Coast. We have seen GINORMOUS grandaddy alligators living in and around the waters in Florida, so this could have gone WAY differently.

Richard Wilbanks Rescued His Puppy From The Jaws Of An Alligator

Gunner is so lucky that (1) his human was there, and (2) the alligator was a relatively small little guy.

Somebody was really watching out for the pair! The pup only sustained a small puncture wound on his belly, and Richard received some teeth lacerations on his hands.

You’d think after all this that Richard would want the gator removed for the protection of other humans and animals.

But, no! Richard said he understands that the pond is the alligator’s home, and didn’t want it removed.

He did, however, urge other pet owners to keep their animals away from the pond and other waterways.

You might be wondering how the heck this encounter was caught on camera.

The dramatic encounter was caught on camera thanks to a partnership between the Florida Wildlife Federation and the fSTOP Foundation as part of a campaign called “Sharing the Landscape.” Its mission is to help the community understand and appreciate the wildlife they live near and help reduce conflicts.
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