The Florida man who caught the alligator with a trash can? He does the same with snakes, too
The Florida man who recently scooped up an alligator in his neighborhood with a garbage bin? This courageous fellow is evidently a multitasker.
Footage emerged on social media over the weekend of Alligator Man, aka “Abdul Gene Malik,” wrangling a large snake, with the help of a blanket or towel.
“Damn snakes in the house and grass, lol,” said his Instagram caption with the hashtag #alligatorman. “Returned to his area in the dark.”
Alligator Man — who now goes professionally by the name Eugene Bozzi — is seen walking with the reptile wrapped up at arm’s length. Bozzi is wearing the same kind of attire he had on during his gator adventure last month: a T-shirt, shorts and athletic sandals with socks.
The comments were priceless, with one person recommending he apply for a job with animal control or open a zoo. Another told him straight up to move out of Florida.
That part doesn’t seem likely; the former bus driver recently relocated to Orange County with his wife and small kids from Philadelphia during the pandemic for a more suburban life.
But as for a career change? Maybe. Following his viral run-in with the gator, the Army vet launched a GoFundMe to further his potential new career as a reptile wrangler.
Bozzi told Philadelphia magazine that he doesn’t necessarily possess more skills than your average Florida resident.
“If I grew up down here, I’d know full well not to go near an alligator,” Bozzi added. “But I just left Philly in 2020. So when my 11-year-old daughter comes in and tells me there’s an alligator outside, I just acted. I honestly didn’t have any fear. I was just a man protecting his family, and I delivered the gator to his natural habitat.”
In case you felt like being a hero by turning over a recycling bin next time you see a gator hanging around your house — don’t.
After the video made the rounds, the official Twitter account of Orange County sent out a do-not-attempt warning telling Floridians to call in professional wranglers from the FWC.
Let’s see if there’s one about snakes.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 4:59 PM.
