alligator

Richard Wilbanks, a 74-year-old man from Florida had his instinct take over when his 3-month-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Gunner, was grabbed from an alligator and dragged under the water. 

The scary moment took place in Wilbanks' backyard pond in Estero, and the moment Wilbanks jumped into the pond to rescue Gunner was recorded on a surveillance camera. The dramatic footage reveals Wildbanks waist-deep in the pond as he wrestles with the gator's jaws to free his dog Gunner from them. 

Wilbanks describes the terrifying moment to CNN, "We were just out walking by the pond and it came out of the water like a missile. I never thought an alligator could be that fast. It was so quick. I just automatically jumped into the water." He also added that opening up the gator's jaw was "extremely hard" and that his hands were left "chewed up" afterward. He also added that he went to the doctor afterwards for a tetanus shot. And Gunner was of course taken to the vet after the incident where he was treated for one puncture wound in his belly.

Thanks to Wilbanks courage and rescue without hesitation, his adorable pup Gunner is doing just fine. From now on, Wilbanks will be keeping Gunner on a leash and far away from the water's edge. 

"Our pets, they're just like family to us," Wilbanks concluded. 

Story via Insider

Comin' at you hot with some funny animal memes! 

The start of the week, so everyone needs a little pick me up. Some giraffes, some fishes, and a whole bunch of dank doggo memes to hopefully make your week a little easier to get through. So, get 'em now, and if you let one breathy laugh out through your nose, then we have been successful! And if laughing is not what you're going for, here are some adorable and wholesome otter memes to get you through the day.

Get ready to fall in love with a new comic series -- Buddy Gator! Story and illustration by the talented Chow Hon Lam / Flying Mouse 365, the story follows a gator so is simply a buddy to all! 

Written in the bio about "Buddy Gator," "Alligator's usually giving people a scary impression ... Alligators can be warm, and sweet too."

We love that! We hardly ever seen alligators portrayed in a comedic and adorable light! Follow Buddy Gator on Instagram! 

Brampton continues to market itself as the Florida of Canada.

Police in Brampton, Ontario, received a complaint on Saturday evening of a "five-to-six foot" alligator on the loose. After a brief investigation, police determined it was just a large beaver.

Just for reference, the average North American beaver is around a meter long, including its tail. Your average American alligator, on the other hand, is about triple that size, which opened up the whole situation to even more questions including "How do you confuse a beaver for an alligator?", "What is happening in Brampton?" and "Is social isolation melting all our brains?".

You almost wish this headline was just click-bait. But unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you see it), this actually happened. A routine traffic stop turned bizarre is this week's Florida headline. A couple was pulled over in May after running a stop sign, and deputies asked them what they had been doing, and they responded searching for frogs and snakes to collect. The deputies asked them if they had any other creatures in the truck, and that is when things took a turn for the weird.The woman had over 40 turtles in a Ninja Turtles backpack, which was definitely an eye-opener. But that is not what shocked the officers. 

The woman in the truck, Ariel Le Quire, after being asked if she had anything else, promptly pulled a foot-long alligator from the yoga pants she was wearing, and placed it in the bed of the pickup truck. The pair were cited and a judge found little humor in her stunt. sentencing Le Quire to 6 months probation, 200 hours of community service, and required her to pay $500 to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This was all for charges of possessing an American Alligator, transporting more than one turtle or turtle egg, one count of possessing a soft-shell turtle, and one count of possessing more than one turtle, per day. 

The woman was also homeless at the time, so it is uncertain how the court expects her to pay the fine. But internet ridicule is sometimes a better teacher than any monetary penance could be.

This is hilarious! The artist 

Break-ins are scary enough when there's a human perpetrator, but how about a massive alligator roaming your home at night? That's what happened to one family in Clearwater, Florida. Luckily, authorities remedied the situation before anyone got hurt. Florida gonna Florida.