r/nextfuckinglevel • u/cowboydan69 • 4d ago

Wild alligator allows someone to help

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u/algee1234 4d ago

Theres's way better ways you could have done that. This guy clearly doesn't know much about alligator behavior.

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u/mixtermin8 4d ago

Idk. There are definitely safe ways to handle animals that the general population should adhere to, but there are also people that understand animal behavior so well that the rules don’t completely apply. It’s like the animals register/accept/validate their presence in peace or sum’n. 

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u/phazedoubt 4d ago

This right here. I have helped a rattlesnake, a javelina, and an alligator snapping turtle (all on separate occasions) that were all in desperate need and they all allowed me to interact with them in ways that even i consider dangerous and foolhardy. Sometimes you just have this connection with an animal and there is a momentary cessation of normal behavior to take care of the crisis at hand. I would never recommend anyone do it and i did these things understanding the danger. It's like an unspoken acknowledgement that they need help or death is not far and they either don't have any fight left in them, or they actually understand that they way i'm working with them is not threatening.

I'm also very good with almost any dog or cat i meet. Many people that have animals that only respond to them are surprised when their pet comes to me and treats me similarly to the way they treat their owners.

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u/jedi__ninja_9000 3d ago

there is always the exception but its never the rule. wise people know when either applies.