One thing that I always wondered was what it was like to live in Florida. News and internet videos make it seem like living life on the extreme.
People are portrayed as really tough for being able to handle the wildlife that “constantly” wanders around the neighborhood.
The stories and videos of alligators going in places where they shouldn’t, only to be pushed back by people, will never stop being hilarious.
If I ever ended up in a situation like that, I know I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near an alligator. But, people living there are just different.
So, today, we will talk about a case where a man from Florida was just minding his business when he suddenly heard a weird splash in water that is filled with alligators. He got a closer look, only to be shocked by what he saw.
What Caused That Noise?
Not too long ago, a man named Doug Hay was just sitting at his house in Lakewood Ranch when he heard a loud splash.
He realized something had fallen into a small lake that was near his house, so he rushed to check it out. Who knows what it might have been?
And, as expected, the lake is home to a few alligators. Even though people live nearby, this is nothing new to them.
Doug went to have a look around, only to realize that a giant bird had fallen into the water. It was a bald eagle, a national symbol of the United States of America.
The man realized that the eagle had crash-landed pretty deep into the water. He quickly realized that an alligator was slowly moving toward him.
It was clear that this eagle was going to become food if Doug didn’t do something. Considering this man had bravery like no one else I have seen in my life, he leapt into the water.
He wanted to help this eagle, so he quickly swam to get it to safety. Doug was able to save this eagle pretty quickly and without any harm.
The alligator wasn’t able to grab Doug in time, so everything turned out okay. I still can’t believe that I just said that.
A Rescue Like No Other
Doug called the wildlife rescuers from Florida only to learn that the man who came to assist the eagle was just as baffled by what happened as I was.
The man, named Justin Matthews, told The Dodo: “I was surprised to see he swam out in that lake. I had never seen anything like that before, and I’ve been doing this for over 40 years.”
Matthews examined the eagle and quickly realized that he had an injury on his chest, which caused him immense pain.
The theory was that the eagle was in a fight with another bird, and that was how he got injured. While it’s hard to be sure, the injury pointed to that.
Matthews took the eagle to a wildlife center where he received immediate treatment, so we know that he will recover pretty soon.
As for Doug, well… I just have no words. What we just witnessed was a Florida man risking his life to save an eagle from an alligator. I mean, that is just astounding.
Matthews gave one final comment and said: “When he told me what he did, I was thinking, ‘Oh, yeah. Right’. And then I saw the video and I thought, ‘Holy ****,’ you know?”
Yeah, that was my initial response as well. I mean, this man’s bravery really speaks for itself, and because of it, this eagle will get another chance.