Alligator man - the next Steve Irwin?
Friday, November 30, 2007
We all know dog owners who happily tell you, while their dog is trying to bite your leg off, that 'he's just trying to be friendly'.
But Australian Stewart Parker's pet is one that you really don't want to be friendly to you.
Stewart Parker, just asking for his face to be eaten
That's because Parker, a reptile handler at Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria, has an alligator as a pet.
Stewart Parker has apparently built a loving bond with Nelson, a three-metre long, 19-year old alligator - as can be seen by the way Nelson rests peacefully in Parkers arms.
See Stewart Parker and his pet alligator in action
The pair grew up together on the Wildlife park - which is owned by Parker's father - and have been best friends since childhood.
Stewart and the reptile are the best of friends
Most people would understandably be a little wary of getting into a pool with an unpredictable carnivore that has much sharper teeth than you. But Parker insists that Nelson is really just a big softy, despite it appearing to the casual observer that he's actually trying to rip his arm off.
'He's not really trying to get me, he's just asking for food I guess. An alligator's way of asking for food,' Parker told Australia's Channel 10, as he hand fed Nelson in the pool.