MMA Fighter Grapples with Giant Alligator Outside Florida Elementary School

An MMA fighter grappled with a 10-foot alligator just outside an elementary school in Jacksonville, Florida. A video report surfaced online showing the Florida MMA fighter turned alligator trapper, Mike Dragich, kept the giant reptile busy in front of a large crowd until local authorities arrived.

The incident started after the Dragich received calls about a 'nuisance alligator' spotted outside the school.

MMA Fighter Grapples Alligator

(Photo : Image by Jeff Leonhardt from Pixabay)

Almost 200 people saw Dragich grabbing the reptile's tail in an impromptu match involving man versus beast, Fox News reported.

Dragich, a former U.S. Marine, was called in as a part of his job as a trapper, which is one of the many trappers under Florida's Nuisance Alligator Program.

Florida has more than a million alligators statewide, according to local wildlife authorities. It is for this reason that incidents relating to alligator encounters are not uncommon. Still, a threat still remain as the reptiles are capable of harming or killing both pets and humans. Members of the American alligator population possessing such threat are called nuisance alligators, as mentioned earlier.

Also Read: Alligator Drinks Box of Diet Coke Cans at Florida Couple's Home

What are Nuisance Alligators?

The wild animal subdued by the Florida MMA fighter mentioned in this article earlier can be considered as a nuisance alligator, a term used by wildlife authorities to classify a particular individual that pose a threat to the general public.

In addition, an alligator can be a nuisance if it is at least 4 feet in length, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which reported that Florida has a "healthy and stable alligator population" with an approximate 1.3 million individuals living in all 67 countries of the state.

Despite the size of an alligator, the FWC reminds the public to leave the handling of the predators to professionals since an alligator bite can result in serious infection.

Under the 'statewide nuisance alligator program,' the removal or transferring of nuisance alligators does not affect their overall population, according to the U.S. government agency.

Florida Alligator Attacks

In recent years, a number of fatal alligator attacks have been reported across the Sunshine State. Just in 2022, a man died due to a gator attack while searching and collecting frisbees in a gated community in Florida.

Earlier this year, the state recorded the death of an 85-year-old woman who was dragged by an alligator into the water while walking her dog.

Scientists say that as the human population and infrastructural development increased in Florida, so too have alligator attacks, according to The Florida Times-Union news website. The said human expansion eventually encroaches natural habitats of the crocodiles, where most live in shallow waters of lakes, rivers, swamps, and ponds.

The FWC and other experts assert that alligator attacks on people are rare. However, they still do occur. Some cases involved victims falling into the said habitats, while some are attacked near the bodies of water.

Between 1948 and 2021, there have been 442 unprovoked alligator bite incidents across Florida. Among this figure, 26 people have been killed by wild alligators, the TC Palm reported.

Related Article: 10-Foot-Long Alligator That Followed Family for Years Finally Killed in Florida