Wild video shows Florida transplant trapping alligator his 'own way' — in a garbage bin
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Eugene Bozzi was thrown into the national spotlight this week after a video of him trapping an alligator in a garbage bin in Florida went viral.
"Somebody's gotta step up and do something," Bozzi told NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando, Florida . "We all got to look out for each other right?"
The Philadelphia native has only been in the Sunshine State for a year.
"I don't know the procedures, so I did it my own way," said Bozzi, a military veteran and dad.
In the viral clip posted on social media Tuesday, he could be seen confronting the alligator with an open trash bin on its side in a front yard. Clad in shorts, a T-shirt, socks and slippers, Bozzi can be seen in the clip inching closer toward the reptile as it trailed backward.
The footage captured him wrangling the flailing alligator inside the garbage bin before eventually closing the lid, securing its capture.
"I was frightened when I had it in it because it was so powerful, and I didn't expect that," Bozzi said. "And it was pushing itself out, whipping its tail around."
He said he moved the garbage bin toward the retention pond where the gator was released.
Since the incident went viral, Bozzi said he has been flooded with messages.
"I got so many inboxes, DMs, women saying things, men saying things, people that I do know, friends," he said.
The wild encounter even caught the attention of authorities and wildlife officials.
The official Twitter account of Orange County, Florida, retweeted the video , saying: "Reminder: Alligators are not recyclable in your blue lid cart."
T he Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission added : "Concerned about an alligator? Don’t grab a garbage can, call our hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286) & we can dispatch a REAL alligator trapper."
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Army vets from North Philly rock!
That guy is tough as nails.
Lucky guy.
That was FABULOUS!!!!!!! For an added bonus, his t-shirt and socks still looked 'fresh out the pack'.
The last guy that tried that lost his arm to the gator. He was lucky as hell.
Dangerous.
He's from North Philly.
This was stupid, but a walk in the hood for this gentleman Veteran.
no doubt.
I suppose there are more dangerous beasties in North Philly....like gator sized rats
Anoon...nice looking alligator..afraid a wheelie bin would not be quite big enough for one of our snappies..
Might get the head in...
LOL
Watching Lone Star Law last night and they made a 15 minute ordeal of trapping a 5 footer and relocating it.
Must have been a slow day, lol.
Evening Shona. I've seen them salties you folks have in Australia. They definitely make the gator in this article look tiny by comparison!
Evening Ed.. just watching a tv show now about American alligators...think they have a nicer looking face than our Crocs..
As I like to say, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Drink enough and anything starts to look better...
Maria's looking ok, lol.
Maria Ellis of Baldwin, Louisiana won several alligator tags in a lottery put on by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for the Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, which borders the Atchafalaya River, west of Baton Rouge. But she had no idea she’d be lucky enough to catch three big gators, including one so huge it almost was too heavy to get in a boat, according to the Louisiana Sportsman.
Then the massive gator slid off the bank. And as their boat approached the gator it bobbed up-and-down in the water, the set-line on shore pulled tight, and the gator dove.
“The gator definitely knew that he was caught,” Ellis told Louisiana Sportsman. “It kept rising and falling in the water, tugging on the line.”
Louisiana Hunter Catches Massive Gator in Popular Wildlife Management Area (msn.com)
Google Lolong. The largest recorded salt water crocodile in captivity at 20 feet 3 inches long in the Philippines. Now that was a big catch!
I think I saw that one on this list
Top 10 Largest Crocodiles Ever Recorded (No BS list) - Our Planet (ourplnt.com)
I guess they go in the regular trash
that was wild