Florida man wrangles alligator, frees it from plastic ring

A man in Bokeelia, Florida, used a broom and a wet blanket to free a distressed alligator from a plastic ring on Thanksgiving Day in 2017. Michael Stauffer found the gator in his backyard and said the ring was “cutting him up all over his body” before he freed it. With the help of a friend, Stauffer used the blanket to cover the animal and a broom to stop it getting away, before he taped the gator’s mouth shut and removed the plastic. Stauffer said after freeing the animal, he