Scales and Tails in Utah saw an intense moment unfold on Saturday as an alligator bit its handler.
The unidentified employee, who was showing the gator to a group of visitors, was pulled into the water by the reptile.
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Thankfully, two brave bystanders were able to pull her to safety.
"Working with some of these animals has inherent risks that we as the staff accept. Yesterday, the sort of event that we hope never happens happened. One of our gator handlers got bitten by our large alligator and things took a bad turn," the petting zoo in West Valley posted on Facebook.
A video that was taken by another bystander shows the alligator clamping down on the woman’s hand and pulling her into the water.
TMZ reported that things would have likely taken a nasty turn if it hadn't been for Donnie Wiseman, a heroic zoo-goer who jumped in to save the day.
The outlet reports that Wiseman alerted staff by yelling "we got trouble," before leaping into action and getting on top of the alligator to hold it down.
KSL notes that when the alligator wouldn't let go, another man came to assist.
Eventually, the second man was able to pull the woman out of the water as the alligator loosened its grip.
The handler then continued to instruct Wiseman about how to safely disembark.
Shane Richins, owner of Scale and Tails, told KSL that while the alligator is typically “mellow,” it's possible that the handler made a “slight misstep” when putting out her hand to prep for feeding.
However, Richins commended her for using her experience and training to roll with alligator in the water rather than fight it, which would have likely worsened the situation.
Though Richins doesn’t advise jumping in to help in such dangerous situations, he explained that he was "very grateful" as the man likely saved the employee from serious injury.
"I hope no one thinks it's a good idea to just run out and hop on a gator because they saw it, but they probably saved her arm and possibly her life by running in and stabilizing him so he couldn't keep rolling on her, and then they just held him still until he relaxed and let her go," Richins explained.
Another bystander with a nursing background reportedly started first aid prior to the EMTs arrival.
The worker was hospitalized and is reportedly recovering and doing well, per the Facebook post.
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