The woman is expected to regain full use of her hand after surgery.
A petting zoo employee in the US has narrowly escaped with her life from an alligator attack after a man bravely jumped into the tank to rescue her.
The attack, which took place on Saturday in Utah’s West Valley City, saw the 8-foot alligator grab Lindsay Bull’s hand and drag her further into the tank.
A man identified as Donnie Wiseman was the first to react, jumping into the enclosure before wrestling and pinning the alligator down.
“I can’t explain the level of admiration I have for that man,” Bull said on Facebook.
The alligator’s predatory decision to roll Ms. Bull had escalated the situation, leaving her with no decision but to also roll or else lose her hand.
“I was like, ‘I don’t want to do this. It is scary,’ [but] what other choice do you have?…You’re going to roll and hopefully save your limb, or you’re not and you’re definitely going to lose your limb,” she said.
Ms Bull is expected to retain full use of her hand after Monday’s surgery.
Her rescuer, Donnie Wiseman wrote on Facebook that he’ll “come visit again” and that he “loved that place”.
“I would really like to still hold that anaconda if [the injured employee] would assist me when she is well,” Wiseman said.
A guest at a reptile centre jumped into the enclosure to rescue a handler pulled in by an alligator.
The staff member was taken to the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, according to local media reports.
For more videos visit: https://t.co/rJUe1YBS7E pic.twitter.com/ybeISwER3s
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 17, 2021