Imagine, you are enjoying a nice visit to the zoo. You watch in delight at the crocodile tank as the zookeeper feeds the reptile. Suddenly, the crocodile clamps down on the zookeeper’s hand as you watch on in shock.

It seems like a nightmare, but that’s exactly what happened at the Scales and Tails Reptiles Center in Utah. Fortunately, a co-worker and visitor came to the zookeeper’s rescue.

The Story Behind It

It was a pleasant day in the summer of 2021 at the Reptiles Center. Children who were there for a birthday party were standing around the crocodile cage watching as the female zookeeper fed it lunch. Little did they know the horror that awaited them.  

The pleasant birthday party became a nightmare scene when the crocodile, 11-year-old, eight-and-a-half foot long, 150 lb. Darth Gator, clamped down on the zookeeper’s hand locking its jaws. It began dragging her across the tank.

Visitors began screaming and panicking. Young children were crying.

One brave man, 48-year-old Donnie Wiseman, jumped into the tank and pinned the crocodile hoping it would release the zookeeper’s hand.  The crocodile maintained its grip, but Wiseman likely prevented it from doing more damage.

Eventually, another man, Todd Christopher, pulled the zookeeper away from the crocodile by the shoulders and the lizard released her from its grip.

“I’m glad he wasn’t any bigger. We would have been in trouble.”

Later reports reveal the zookeeper, 31-year-old Lindsay Bull was coaching the men through it all. She maintained remarkable composure throughout the ordeal- a smart move considering panic may have angered the beast.

After the zookeeper was released, Todd’s wife, who has a background in nursing, began performing first-aid on Bull before emergency crews arrived.

Feedback from the Incident

“I’m just like, ‘What do I do? What do I need to do? And I got on him, just like in all the movies and documentaries I’ve seen,” said Wiseman.

“I’m glad he wasn’t any bigger. We would have been in trouble. I would say he was about seven feet. I’m 6’3 and he had me beat by a bit,” he went on to say.

Shane Richins, owner of the family-owned Reptiles Center, said the facility follows a strict policy of always having a second handler around when employees are working with reptiles.

“We 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,” Richins said.

Updates on the zookeeper

The zookeeper had to undergo surgery after the attack. She suffered tendon damage and had chipped bones in her wrist and hand. Fortunately, she was treated by a skilled orthopedic surgeon and was expected to regain full use of her hand.

She also said that she had no resentment towards her attacker. “Oh, I love him. He is like a member of the family. That is true of everybody who works there. Everybody loves Darth.”

Bull also stated that she would be hyper-vigilant about working with Darth in the future, but overall, she was looking forward to reuniting with him.

“I can’t wait to get back in and hang out with my buddy again,” she said.