A Florida animal trapper figured out one interesting way to corral an alligator jump in the pool and play with him.
Paul Bedard, a celebrity trapper who appeared on Animal Planets Gator Boys, was dispatched to a house in Parkland, Florida, that had an alligator caught in their pool, the trapper told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Since Bedard works with the states Nuisance Alligator Program, he has completed his fair share of gator trappings, and knows the correct protocol to safely corral the animals.
This time, his method to pull the nearly 9-foot, 185-pound alligator out of the pool was to face the animal head on and play with him one on one.
Bedard shared that once the alligator was tired out from all the playing, he was able to easily capture him, put a snare on its mouth and tape it shut, and move the alligator for relocation in the Everglades.
The alligator, who Bedard named Cool Hand Luke, after the 1967 film starring Paul Newman, was described as mellow by the trapper.
During Bedards time on the Animal Planet show, he shared some tips with PEOPLE about how to stay safe in the presence of an alligator.
While there is a misconception that gators will try to attack you on land, Bedard explained otherwise.
Sure, anything can happen, says Bedard. But generally, when youre on land, theyre six inches tall and youre six feet tall. Theyre not going to mess with you. Youre more likely to get attacked when youre swimming. Theyll see your head sticking up out of the water and think youre the same size as a nice duck, he shared, which doesnt seem to scare off Bedard from frequently swimming with the reptiles.
That happened to me, and I had to elbow the gator in the throat.
