Utah alligator handler attacked by reptile on video
A brave father jumped in to hold alligator down so the handler could get her arm back. Fox News' Jillian Mele reports.
A handler at a Utah petting zoo who is recovering after being attacked by an alligator over the weekend is speaking out.
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In a Tuesday interview with NBC's "Today" show, 31-year-old Lindsay Bull said she realized the Saturday encounter was "going to be really serious" when the American gator "really bit down" on her left hand.
The predator clamped down on Bull, forcing her into the water and eventually flipping her over in a move known as a "death roll."
That's when Donnie Wiseman – who was there for a birthday party – knew he had to step in to help subdue the alligator known as "Darthgator."
"I knew that if I didn't get in there and hold this alligator down, he was going to tear her arm off," Wiseman told Today.
Wiseman shouted to staff members for help and jumped into the water, wrestling the animal.
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When the gator loosened his grip on Bull's hand, bystander Todd Christopher pulled her out of the pool and Wiseman waited for a beat before making a quick exit.
According to Salt Lake City’s FOX 13, Christopher's wife, Amy Christopher, administered first aid on Bull before emergency crews arrived at the West Valley City-based Scales and Tails.
Wiseman's wife, Theresa Wiseman, captured the incident on film.
According to TMZ, Bull suffered a damaged tendon and multiple fractures and was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.
Bull, who has worked at the petting zoo for three-and-a-half years, has undergone surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
"I got lucky to land in a hospital that employs what has to be the best orthopedic surgeon in Utah. He was able to improvise and come up with a solution that should result in full use of my hand. I can’t explain the level of admiration I have for that man," Bull said in a Facebook post on the Scales and Tail website. " I’m being treated aggressively with antibiotics, which I’m thankful the Infectious Disease staff here were prepared to do. Lastly, I’ve had the most wonderful nursing staff that have made me feel safe and comfortable since I got here. I definitely want to thank everyone that has reached out and for doing so, as well; it’s made recovery feel so much more manageable!"
Scales and Tails wrote on Facebook Sunday to thank Wiseman and the Christophers.
"We want to thank them for their heroism. Working with some of these animals has inherent risks that we as the staff accept. Yesterday, the sort of event that we hope never happens happened. One of our gator handlers got bitten by our large alligator and things took a bad turn," the organization said. "These gentleman could have stayed in the safety zone as most of us would, but instead jumped into the situation, of their own volition, and helped secure the alligator. Their help, combined with the training of our staff member, probably saved her life and her limbs. Mrs. Christopher had a nursing background and started first aid prior to the EMT’s arrival and we thank her for that as well."
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"I cannot express enough gratitude to both of those men, Donnie and Todd, that were right there, supporting me through," Bull told FOX 13.
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