The internet is celebrating a Florida dad after he treated an alligator like garbage.
Abdul Gene Malik of Mt Dora, Florida was seen in a video on Tuesday capturing a live alligator in a trash bin.
The struggle took almost a full minute as Mr Malik pushed the horizontal bin toward the gator, open end first, as the predator hissed and backed away.
Once he’d gotten close enough, Mr Malik cleverly snapped the lid on the gator’s head, apparently stunning it. With the creature part of the way in, the Florida man then lifted the can upright and shut it, trapping the reptile inside.
In the video, clapping and cheering can be heard from appreciative onlookers.
Mr Malik received largely the same reaction on Instagram, where he posted the video.
“I don’t care what nobody say at this point, you a super hero!!!!” one viewer commented.
“Got a wife too? Or nah?” another admirer wrote.
Another viewer reposted the video on Twitter, where it quickly went viral. As of Wednesday, the video has nearly 500,000 views.
“This Florida Man has won the internet for the Month of September,” the user wrote.
In the comments, however, viewers were more critical.
“I love gators and don’t like to see them harassed like this,” one wrote.
“What a newbie,” another griped. “Everybody knows you toss some raw chicken in that trash can first. Saves so much time and drama.”
Meanwhile, Mr Malik started a GoFundMe for himself and his family, who he says has fallen on hard times.
“On September 29th, 2021 I was faced with a life or death task that made me decide whether it’s me & my family or the Gator,” Mr Malik wrote.
“I am a Combat Veteran that struggle [sic] to make ends month to month. Fortunately enough everything happens for a reason. I will be using this support to help my family & numerous other families to remain Gator FREE.”
