What a croc — of influencer sh-t.
A self-anointed American wildlife wrangler referred to as “The Real Tarzann” is facing massive backlash — and a possible effective — after uploading a controversial video of himself wrestling a freshwater crocodile within the waters of Queensland, Australia.
Mike Holston, an influencer with over 23 million followers, shared the footage on Thursday, Sept. 4 — and quickly got roasted by followers and other digital onlookers.
The video, reportedly filmed near Lockhart River in Cape York, shows Holston stepping off a ship into shallow water and charging towards a crocodile.
Startled, the crocodile tries to flee, but Holston runs it down, jumps on its back, and wrestles it to shore — in a tense struggle captured by a cameraman.
“He got ahold of me, but I got ahold of him!” Holston declared, laughing, as blood poured from a gash on his arm.
“He got piece of my arm, man. Have a look at that guy,” he said over the crocodile’s groans.
“That is sick. That is what dreams are product of. Ever since I used to be a child, I wanted to return to Australia and just take a look at crocodiles, catch them between my hands, and see them up close.”
But not everyone found it “sick” in the identical way.
The video quickly racked up greater than 800,000 views — nevertheless it also triggered widespread outrage from conservation groups and members of the general public.
The general public response has been divided. While lots of Holston’s followers were in awe of the crazy stunt, others weren’t.
“Why try this to them though? I don’t get it. Leave them alone. It’s form of sad you’re coming up into their secure space it’s not right,” someone commented.
“Bro, the poor guy was just there, resting and never hurting anyone. I don’t understand why you’d hassle him and invade his space only for an easy video,” one other said.
Community Representation of Crocodiles (CROC), a Queensland-based animal welfare organization, publicly condemned the stunt on social media.
“This behavior is distressing for the animal and illegal under the Nature Conservation Act,” the group said in a press release on Friday, Sept. 5. “When it’s promoted on large social media platforms — without permits or authority to handle wildlife — it sets a dangerous precedent. Unfortunately, the penalty is minimal considering the monetisation these accounts make.”
In response to CROC, Holston’s video was reported to authorities multiple times by concerned viewers. The group urged the general public not to have interaction with or promote such content, and as a substitute to report it when spotted online.
Queensland’s Department of Environment confirmed that an investigation is underway. “It’s a big offence to interfere with freshwater crocodiles in Queensland, not to say extremely dangerous,” a department spokesperson said, in response to the Each day Mail.
Under Queensland law, deliberately disturbing or handling crocodiles without authorization can result in fines of roughly $18,000.
Nevertheless, Holston isn’t any stranger to controversy. His social media is stuffed with footage of close encounters with dangerous wildlife, including giant snakes, birds of prey, and even a Sumatran saltwater crocodile.
The incident in Queensland is just the newest in a growing trend of influencers engaging in wildlife stunts for views.
A Spanish tourist is under fire after viral footage showed him pouring beer down an elephant’s trunk at a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya.
The obnoxious act, reported by the BBC, has been slammed by conservationists as dangerous and deeply disrespectful to the animals and the country’s conservation efforts.
The footage sparked swift outrage across social media, prompting multiple investigations, including by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
Ol Jogi Conservancy confirmed the incident happened on their grounds, calling the behavior “unacceptable, dangerous, and completely against our values.”
