‘Darth Gator was just being an alligator.‘ Handler opens up about bite at kids’ party
The alligator handler who was bitten during a kids’ birthday party at a Utah petting zoo last week is speaking out about the incident and clarifying a few things.
Lindsay Bull chatted with South Florida alligator experts Chris Gillette (“Gator Boys”) and Gabby Scampone by Zoom over the weekend.
In the hour-long interview, Bull wanted to make sure people realized that contrary to some reports, she was not pulled into the enclosure at Scales and Tails in Salt Lake City two weekends ago.
During a feeding presentation at the party, she said that the eight-foot reptile, named Darth Gator, mistook her left hand for food and clamped down. She then climbed into the enclosure to better handle the situation. When the animal went into a death roll, instead of trying to get away and panicking, Bull went with it, likely saving her hand in the process, noted Gillette and Scampone.
“He was being fed, something touched his face so he just bit it. That’s just him doing what he does. He’s trying to eat,” Bull said. “Saying I was dragged in with it, is just outright false ... That was a conscious decision.”
Bull also gave credit to the hero, party guest Donnie Wiseman, who bravely jumped on the alligator’s back, holding it down while she waited for it to “go for a readjust” and eventually open its mouth so she could escape.
Bull added that another bystander at the party, Todd Christopher, also helped. She instructed the guest to pull her arm out if she was too weak or injured to do so.
As for why another handler from the facility wasn’t there to help the employee in distress, Scales and Tails owner Shane Richins told Utah station KUTV they usually have a second professional on standby, but the policy isn’t enforced if the worker isn’t planning to enter the enclosure.
“We still 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.
As for how Bull is doing, she held up her arm, still bandaged, and showed she was able to wiggle all five fingers.
“I think a lot of people thought it was going to be worse than it was,” she said, adding that most of the tendon on her wrist was cut and her thumb was broken.
“The swelling is more painful than than the actual damage,” she said, adding she underwent emergency surgery. “All things considered, I definitely came out pretty good.”
As for Darth, he will keep on keeping on.
“While he continues to be under our care, no harm will come to him,” his facility said in a statement posted to Facebook. “We have never been under the illusion that he was a cuddly creature. He is an alligator and a wild animal at heart. Darth Gator was just being an alligator. Lindsay, our injured trainer, is adamant the accident wasn’t his fault and should not be harmed or killed, as well.”
