DocM Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 http://abcnews.com/m/story?id=19984061&sid=81 South Carolina Boy Nabs Alligator That Bit Woman - ABC NewsFor South Carolina 12-year-old Joey Maffo, it's not unusual for a typical summer day to include wrestling an alligator twice his size, as he did this week.Maffo's grandfather runs Hilton Head Island's Critter Management wildlife control company and received a call Wednesday that an alligator had attacked a woman near a lagoon.Tamra Shattuck, 50, had been walking her and a friend's dog around a lagoon when the gator lunged out of the water toward her. The animal bit her ankle but she and the dogs were able to escape with minor injuries.That's when she called Joe Maffo, 68, for help. Maffo, who called Shattuck a "very tough" girl, headed over to her house."When I arrived, I saw the gator for a split second," Maffo told ABCNews.com. "I evaluated it between seven and eight feet."Maffo couldn't catch the gator Wednesday but went back to the house Thursday with Joey in tow. As the two were searching, Shattuck spotted the animal in the water and directed the guys to it."I went down and just let [Joey] fight it and hold it until it got to 16 feet out where I could reach it," Maffo said. "I stood at the edge of the water and reached out with a pole and put it around its neck and pulled it up to shore and then he pulled the rope tight. I got on the gator and he came over and taped it."Joey is 5-feet tall and weighs about 90 pounds. The alligator was 8 feet and weighed 180 pounds.Tape is put on the alligator's mouth and eyes, as well as used to pin its limbs to its side."Once they get their foot down, they can roll over and wing around so that's dangerous," Maffo said.Under South Carolina law, the alligator must be "harvested," or killed.Maffo said his grandson has been handling alligators since he was 3."I've just never been afraid of alligators," Joey told ABCNews.com today from the beach in Hilton Head, where he and his grandfather had just snared a 6-foot gator.Aside from a few scrapes and bruises, neither Joey nor his grandfather has ever been seriously injured."I wouldn't take a chance on letting it bite me," he said. "I just stay away from the mouth."The 12-year-old thinks his grandfather's job is awesome but couldn't quite put his finger on what makes it so much fun."I love it," Joey said. "I don't know how to explain it. It's just really fun. You get an adrenaline rush."Maffo said, "He has the utmost respect for the animal. I would never let him go near it without me."He said his 17-year-old granddaughter is also pretty good. As Maffo chatted, he was watching Joey on the beach with today's gator, which had already been taped."He just took a 6-foot alligator in a headlock," he said. "He's just practicing his maneuvers and techniques. It's all routine.""Joey, bring that gator over here in the shade. He's a trip," Maffo said with a chuckle. "How many people would play with a 6-foot alligator?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted August 18, 2013 Member Share Posted August 18, 2013 I'd hate to meet that 12 year old in an alley. He might whip my butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted August 18, 2013 Author Share Posted August 18, 2013 Yup - tough kid. Sounds like a natural for the wrestling team, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgeek Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 That croc sure looks very uncomfortable having all limbs helded behind it's back. Try doing that to a dog. Extremely painful. It'd be like having both your arms tied and then hang by your arms. +E.Worm Jimmy 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
episode Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 That croc sure looks very uncomfortable having all limbs helded behind it's back. Try doing that to a dog. Extremely painful. It'd be like having both your arms tied and then hang by your arms. They have to kill it since it bit the woman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted August 18, 2013 Author Share Posted August 18, 2013 That croc sure looks very uncomfortable having all limbs helded behind it's back. Try doing that to a dog. Extremely painful. It'd be like having both your arms tied and then hang by your arms.Not comparable. Croc & gator legs aren't jointed the way dog legs & human limbs are. They can rotate much more because of their location, the scapulae and pelvis being smaller & the attachments more loosely bound. This is more akin to being handcuffed. Coagulated 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgeek Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Are you a crocodile? cyoung1616 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntegralDerivative Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Holy cow, what a strong man. My male classmates pale in comparison to this guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceBreakerG Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Are you a crocodile? DocM in fact, is "not" a crocodile sir. But then again, neither is the "alligator" they caught either. There's a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntegralDerivative Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 DocM in fact, is "not" a crocodile sir. But then again, neither is the "alligator" they caught either. There's a difference. Yeah, Gators live in fresh water while crocs live in the salts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted August 19, 2013 Author Share Posted August 19, 2013 Yeah, Gators live in fresh water while crocs live in the salts.Better re-take your biology. Most crocodiles live in fresh water, just like alligators. In Florida they can be found in the same coastal waters, though the American crocodile tolerates saltier waters. The saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) range is limited to SE Asia south to Northern Australia. max22 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted August 19, 2013 Member Share Posted August 19, 2013 Not comparable. Croc & gator legs aren't jointed the way dog legs & human limbs are. They can rotate much more because of their location, the scapulae and pelvis being smaller & the attachments more loosely bound. This is more akin to being handcuffed. I didn't know that, DocM. Not that I was overly worried about them hurting the gator or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerino Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 I give it a month before this kid gets his own "Reality" Show on the discovery channel or the history channel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted August 19, 2013 Author Share Posted August 19, 2013 ^ I wouldn't be a bit surprised :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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