ESTERO, Fla. — A 74-year-old Florida man saved his puppy from the jaws of an alligator in a rescue that was captured by cameras placed there to document wildlife.
Richard Wilbanks says he jumped into a pond behind his Estero home last month to rescue his 3-month-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Gunner.
Wildlife workers discovered the attack when they checked the camera's memory card last week.
The video shows Wilbanks wrestling with the juvenile alligator at the edge of the pond in southwest Florida. He pulls the animal's jaws apart enough for the puppy to get free and run away with minor injuries.
CNN said Wilbanks' hands were a little chewed up and he had to get a tetanus shot. As for Gunner, CNN said all he had was a puncture to his stomach and is doing fine after a trip to the vet.
Wilbanks told WINK News this was a learning experience for him. He told CNN now he keeps Gunner on a leash when they walk and they stay 10 feet away from the pond.
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