Utah Alligator Handler Dragged By Reptile Inside Enclosure; Visitor Jumps In To Free Her

A Utah reptile center employee was pulled by an alligator inside its enclosure during a presentation before a visitor leaped into action and helped save the woman from the reptile’s jaws.

According to Shane Richins, the owner of Scales & Tails Utah where the incident took place Saturday, the handler was opening the enclosure to feed the reptile as usual. As she was doing it, the alligator bit her hand and dragged her into the water, Associated Press reported.

A video taken by a guest showed that the alligator kept its jaws locked and thrashed around as the woman tried to free herself.

One of the visitors, identified as Donnie Wiseman, yelled, “We’ve got trouble in here!” as the incident unfolded. He swiftly jumped into the water to save the woman and climbed on top of the alligator. But, the reptile did not let go of the woman.

Another man, identified as Todd Christopher, then came to the side of the enclosure to help free the woman’s arm, KSL reported. The handler calmly gave instructions to the two men that enabled her to escape the cage.

Children around the enclosure were heard crying as a bystander ushered them away.

"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," the company said in a statement on Facebook.

"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," it added.

Todd Christopher's wife, Amy, who has a background in nursing, was also present at the scene and provided first aid to the handler before emergency services arrived.

Scales & Tails Utah’s owner Richins added that his company has a strict policy that requires a second handler to be present while employees are working with alligators. But, that rule has not been enforced in recent times if the employee is not planning to enter the enclosure.

“We still enforce it strictly whenever somebody gets in with the gator but, of course, going forward, we will be back to strictly enforcing it with any interactions with the gator for that very reason,” said Richins, AP reported.

Scales & Tails Utah applauded Wiseman and Christopher’s quick action that saved the handler’s limbs and life. "I hope no one thinks it's a good idea to just run out and hop on a gator because they saw it," Richins added as a warning, KSL reported.

The handler reportedly underwent surgery and is said to be in recovery.