Man who jumped on top of an 8-foot-long alligator speaking out

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A man who jumped on top of an 8-foot long alligator to help a trainer escape its “death roll” tells KSL-TV he doesn’t think of himself as a hero. 

Donnie Wiseman was attending a birthday party at Scales and Tails in West Valley City on Saturday.  His group was watching the alligator handler, Lindsay Bull, feed 8-foot-long “Darth Gator,” when the reptile chomped down on Bull’s hand.

Didn’t think, just jumped on the alligator

Wiseman told KSL-TV he didn’t think about the consequences.  He simply jumped inside the enclosure after the alligator put Bull into what wildlife experts call a death roll.

“When I seen her face coming up, I just knew we had to do something,” he said. 

Once inside the enclosure, Wiseman asked what he should do. 

“Here we are,” he said. “And I said something, like, ‘What do I need to know?’ And she said, ‘Just talk to me.'”

Wiseman pounced on top of the gator’s back and pinned it, according to Bull’s instructions. 

“Thanks to her, her bravery, her resourcefulness, her knowledge — she got herself out of the tank and myself without any more harm being done,” Wiseman said. 

More to the story: See the video and hear more of Wiseman’s interview at KSLTV.com. 

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