Tracking Elusive Animal Killers | Dangerous Encounters MEGA Episode | Nat Geo Animals

Brady Barr: Ahhhh! Hey, hey, there's something in here. Snake, snake, snake! This is the underworld. In here be afraid, and for good reason. It's a hidden world of bears, snakes, crocs, and sharks. Talk about scared, I mean, I just don't know what to do. My mission is to explore these subterranean lairs and enter a secret world of animals. Holy smokes. I just found a foot. Regardless of who's home. Whoa! I'm going head first into deep dark dens of danger. There's something in this one, I can smell it. Beneath the Earth lies an incredible world: covert tunnels, dark dens, mysterious caves. These subterranean labyrinths conceal creatures that live double lives, one existence in the open we can see, the other life unknown, hidden below. Does anyone really know what goes on when animals go underground? It's a realm scientists little understand, and with good reason. To chart these shadowy dwellings is to risk a deadly encounter. But I want to explore. How intricate are these dens and why are they used, and what animals are inside? I have a thirst for knowledge that outweighs any fear; ever since I got my first taste on an expedition in Costa Rica. We had to find and relocate crocodiles from a burrow. I crawled in and looked around, but all I could see was a muddy wall. Then, I suddenly realized that the muddy wall was looking back at me. Oh, my God. The eye of a large croc right in front of me. And she's not alone. I got one, two, three. Two over here, there's like six. I got six crocodiles in here. I had heard stories that numerous would use a single burrow, but I wasn't really sure. Hey, hey, hey! We got movement. Very dangerous. I mean, I crawl in there and it's just a myriad of jaws, teeth, eyes, tails, claws. I do not like this situation. To capture these crocs, I had to go back in. Careful. He scares me. Here he comes. Six adults, all escaping the summer heat, sharing the one crocodile-dug burrow. It's incredible, but now I want to know more. I got a little sample of the crocodiles in the cave, and now I just can't get that taste out of my mouth. When it comes to exploring burrows, I've only scratched the surface. To learn more about the secret life of den dwellers, I need to dig deeper. I begin my investigation in China and the province of Anhui. This is where I can find the emperor of burrow building. China is well-known for its dancing dragons. But it's also home to real dragons, the Chinese alligator. It's the most endangered of all croc species. Anhui is one of its last strongholds. There are gator burrows all along here. You got to keep your eyes out for gators, too. Yeah, here's a good one, right here. These are by far the deepest burrows of any crocodile or alligator, sometimes over 20 meters long. To study these in the past, scientists have dug them up, but I'm taking a new approach: I want to explore and keep them in tact. It's far more dangerous, but it will also be a lot more revealing and it'll preserve a vital habitat. It's warm now, but in winter it snows, and that's when a good shelter is imperative, especially if you're a reptile. They go down into these burrows during the winter months, they slow their metabolism down, they go into a deep sleep, they hibernate, conditions warm up outside, and they come back up out of the burrow. This is no short-term lease. Gators create these burrows to live in for months at a time. these dens and see how they're used. They may even be home to other creatures like scorpions and cobras. Yeah, this looks like a good one. You can tell this one's been used; the mud's smoothed down There's obviously been an alligator coming and going. I think I'm going to stick my head in and see if somebody's inside. These Chinese alligator burrows are tight, because the animals aren't that big, but boy they're elaborate. Man, you talk about horrifying. I'm fascinated by these burrows, but they just flat out scare me. You get in there, and it's tight, you don't know what's at home. Is there going to be an angry alligator, a scorpion or cobra? You just don't know, and there's no fast way to get out. When the space is too tight for Brady Barr, I use the Brady car. I've brought my remote control car to go where I can't, into the burrows, and I'm going to put a camera on it so you can see what I'm going to see. It's full steam ahead. So far so good. I'm taking it really slow. It seems all of are under tree roots. It probably makes the hole more stable. You know, we must be in there a good 15 or 20 feet. Bit by bit, I'm able to build a 3-D picture. I can see how well alligators design these dwellings to last throughout the winter. The entrances I measured are about two meters wide. Inside, the main passageway eventually turns and there's usually a depression that holds a water supply. That's something that may help the gators get through a long winter. The floor is just too rugged; the Brady car is stuck. I've got my car about 25 feet into this burrow, and it's down. I'm afraid if I pull the camera wire, only the camera will come out. There's only one thing to do: Once more into the burrow; head first into the alligator's lair. I never like coming to a bend in the tunnel. You got a hard left turn, you never know what's going to be on the other side. You never know what you're going to run into. Thought I heard something, then you get in here and you start hearing things. I mean, it is a scary place to be. No, no, no, there's something. Hey, hey, hey, there's something in here! Shh, shh, shh. I grab the car, and its camera turns to this. Gator, gator. I got a gator. Somebody's home. Coming up. A sudden intrusion wakes this resting beast. When Dangerous Encounters returns. Brady Barr: I thought this alligator burrow was empty! I came in to get my remote camera vehicle and I got way more than I bargained for. Right there, it's just sitting there looking at me. Okay, yeah, yeah, it's hissing, we have hissing. That's telling me that the gator is not happy. This is its refuge, very surprised to see a person in here. As tight a spot as this is for me, it looks like there's plenty of room for more than one gator. If this is a female alligator, she may have her babies in here. The moms take the whole family, and they all spend the winter together in portion of these burrows. We do not want to measure this burrow. Exploring this den has been much more than just a dangerous encounter. Gator, gator, I got a gator! There are less than 150 Chinese alligators left in the wild and this is probably the only video of one inside its lair. Argh, there's jaws right there, man, my heart just stopped. We definitely are not going to be mapping this burrow. This one we're going to leave to the gator. That's just too dangerous for me. This den is off limits. It's rare to see hibernating animals, but I can learn more about winter dens by investigating the covert life of another species. Like the Chinese bears lay dormant in dens for But there's a big difference. With bears, more animals come out than go in. To find out more, I head to the U.S.A. and the state of West Virginia. Winter in this part of America means snow. You know, I'm definitely not looking for crocodiles in this environment. The animal I'm after is synonymous with the word den. I'm after bears. I'm in West Virginia investigating hibernating black bears. And I'm ready to find a den and get out of this cold weather. Trudging through deep snow, it's not long before scientist Chris Ryan and I are hungry. But imagine a black bear, when it gets cold. they don't eat at all, their digestive system virtually shuts down. Chris: They fascinate researchers so much because they can go up to six to eight months without anything to eat or drink, without urinating or defecating. And they don't do that in the den? That's incredible. Brady Barr: Chris needs blood samples from bears to help find out how black bears are able to spend months without moving and not suffer any ill effects. To gather data during winter, Chris must first find the dens in which the bears hibernate. That'll be my chance to investigate their secret world. Many hours of walking through knee-deep snow, and finally. Yeah, we got to be quiet, we're getting close. Chris said the den or the cave is right down there in that rocky bluff. The research team and I head in. Like the alligators in China, black bears lay dormant, but not necessarily asleep for the entire winter. We got to be quiet, because bears aren't true hibernators, they don't go into a really deep sleep. They wake up quite easily, which is what makes this all so dangerous. We don't want a grumpy bear waking up and coming after us, that's for sure. It's difficult to know. if a bear is at home. Man, this is incredible. This bear has obviously, has not excavated this den. I mean, it's using an existing cavern. And you can just smell, man, it's just got that, that bear smell is in here. She's close by. We size up the cave and look for reasons why a bear might choose this site. The entrance is small and concealed. And the cave goes deep enough to be secluded from noise. By using an existing cavern, all a bear has to do is move in and decorate. Look at the leaves that she's brought in here she's made a nice warm bed. I mean, that's something you don't see crocodiles do. The bear's in here somewhere, it's just farther back I just think it's a death wish to go any further. You can definitely smell bear in there. That's scary. I tell you what, if you're a bear, that's probably a great place to hibernate, a nice natural cavern. But I'm anxious to see a den that a bear has actually excavated, one that the bear has made, similar to the crocodile digging his subterranean lair. Let's go to the next one. Chris and I head to another site following tracks, bear tracks. This hibernator has been aroused from her slumber. That's her footprints right here. So we know she's been awake at some point recently. The den is right up ahead underneath this fallen tree, maybe just 20 meters in front of us. Chris loads a tranquilizer gun. A good dose will make sure the bear stays asleep for an hour, but that's not much time to collect blood samples and measurements. We'll have to work fast. If he misses his mark, I've got a net to slow her down. Yeah, I'd like to see us hold onto a 300-pound angry bear with this net. The bear's awake. The bear's looking at us. Fingers crossed the tranquilizer acts quickly. I waste little time and crawl in to see if it's worked. Yeah, she's down, she's asleep. I mean, that is a great den, you can see she's dug out a little nest literally just the size of her body underneath these fallen trees. I mean, look at those, that's what she uses to excavate this den, I mean, those are huge. Those are much larger than crocodile claws, and from the lions I've been around, these look bigger than lion claws as well. These may be the biggest animal claws I've ever seen. This den is really tight quarters. And Chris needs to get this bear out to weigh her and take blood. We're going to try and get her out of here? Chris: Yeah. That's like getting a cork out of a bottle. Aw, we'll get her out of there. Brady Barr: As I start to move her, I hear something. Whew. She's not alone. Brady Barr: At first sight, this bear den is just a sea of fur. But it's more than just a tranquilized mother bear, it's a baby bear. I got her. Could there be more? Chris: Yeah, there could be more, you have to look around there. Man, they're crawling to the back of the den and they're hanging onto Mom with their claws. Alright, I got one. Wow, they're big. Got a little snow in his face. Boy, he's a nice fat little cub. There you go, buddy. Any more cubs in there, Brady, or is there just two? Yeah, whoa, whoa, I got one more. Alright. Another good sized. I think that's all of them, I mean, if there's any more, they'd be underneath her. How's her breathing doing? She's breathing. Man it smells I can smell her. Whew! I can't wait to get her out of there to get a closer look at Mom, but also a closer look at this den. This is really something. Wow, those babies are cute. Brady Barr: The cubs have taken up a lot of our precious time, we've got to hurry. I don't want to be anywhere near this mom or her cubs when she suddenly wakes up angry. Okay, one, two, three! She's out? Man, it is such a nice den in there. Wow, she looks a lot bigger out here than she did in there. Chris: Let's try to weigh her here. Darn near 200, right on 200. Two hundred pounds, man. That's more than 90 kilos of bear. That's a lot of mass. Yet she may go an entire seven months without moving a muscle. If we did that, we'd get osteoporosis. Our bones and muscles would start to waste away. If scientists can find the key to how bears hibernate, there may be help for people who are forced to be immobile, from hospital patients to astronauts. Chris: Even when it comes to space travel and things like that, fascinates like NASA research and all that. Right, why don't they get osteoporosis? Why don't they They don't move their muscles all that time. While Chris scrambles to collect samples, I investigate the den. You can see where she's used her teeth and her claws on the log above her head to make the den larger, and she's dug out the soil to make a little nest. It's a nice den, it's totally different than a crocodile's Both crocs and bears tailor-make their dens, but there is a big difference in how they use them. Chinese alligator babies hatch outside the burrow, but with bears, it's inside. Mother bears have their cubs while hibernating. The cubs spend their first months suckling and very quickly growing. The cubs are born while the mom's asleep, they just start nursing, they get bigger and bigger and bigger. When she wakes up, their big kids. Chris: Right, the benefit to that is, you know, they have their cubs in the wintertime. And that allows them to grow, because they're only about six or eight ounces when they're born. It's alright little one, we're going to have you get back in there in your nice warm den with mom in a matter of minutes. Just another month of growing and the cubs will be coming out on their own. Chris: And he'll be running through the woods and climbing up the West Virginia trees before you can shake a stick. As we saw from the claw marks, mother bears make their dens big enough to accommodate a growing family, but not all animals have that luxury. I feel so out of place in this black bear den, so out of my element with snow and in cold temperatures. But the next animal den I'm going to investigate is really going to get me out of my element. undersea for our next investigation. I'm going to explore the watery lair of a very special species of shark. From underground to undersea. I head to Hawaii and the island of Maui. You see, the Hawaiian Islands were formed through volcanic activity, and some of the processes formed are undersea lava tubes. Some of those old lava tubes are now caves that I want They are often hideouts for some very toothy sea life. to dive into these undersea caverns in search of sharks, sleeping sharks. And I have a feeling, if we wake these guys up, they ain't going to be happy. I want to know what a shark is doing sleeping in a cave. From great whites to nurse sharks to basking sharks, most all 350 species have one thing in common: They can't stop swimming. Most sharks must constantly move to keep water flowing over their gills, most, but not all. There's a cave dwelling shark that often lays still! the caves, and learn more about the covert world of the white tip reef shark. Nick: This guy's only about five or six months old. Nick Whitney is the expert I trust to take me through the mouth of a cave and away from the mouth of any sharks. Look he's biting the towel. Nick: Oh, yeah, he did latch onto that towel there. Better towel than our fingers. Brady Barr: Nick photographs the spots on the side of these pups. He wants to find out if these spots are like fingerprints and can be used to identify the same shark for life. Nick also wants to see if the same white tips use the same caves or if they move around. He'll use DNA from tissue samples to see how different cave dwellers are related. Nick: And within about five or six weeks, if we were to come back, this snip that we take out of the fin is going to be totally healed. It's easy to get tissue in the lab, tricky in the field with big sharks and deep caves. Nothing makes the heart race like gearing up to dive with sharks. I mean, just getting in the water with sharks makes me a little nervous. Getting in the water inside the close confines of a cave makes me very nervous. What shouldn't I do while I'm in the cave? Nick: I think in general, the rule is just like any other wild animal, give it respect, give it its space, and make sure it has a way out of the cave. You never want to get between the shark and its only exit to the cave, because then it's liable to act like any other cornered animal and get a little more aggressive. Alright, I'll be behind you, when we're close to the exit. These scooters won't help us outswim a shark, but they'll sure get us to the caves faster. Oh, yeah, check that out, that is so cool. Nick: Okay, here we go, first cave. That looks pretty spooky. Brady Barr: If I'm a shark or an eel, I'm going to be in there. So we're just going to leave these things here? Nick: Yeah, just set them down here and we'll use our fins to propel ourselves back in the cave. think of sharks as primarily open-water fish. I never thought I'd be searching for them in caves. Narrator: Just ahead. Brady finds himself alone in the water with a hungry shark. Brady Barr: Man, there are so many crevices and cracks and holes and passageways in these caves, no telling what you're going to find in here. Oh, yeah, look at that, there's an old friend of mine. Always good to see a reptile. And it's a big turtle, a big green sea turtle, and look, it's asleep in here. It's good to see one of these up close and personal. Man, they dive down in here, get a little nap, can hold their breath for an incredibly long period of time. Oh, we got movement, I woke him up. Uh oh. Backing out. Hopefully, I can count on this big boy to help me out if the sharks give me any trouble. Ah, it's beautiful. The only time they come onto land is to lay their eggs, and that's only the females. The males never return to land once their born. Boy, what a treat. That's a big turtle. Brady Barr: Like this turtle, I definitely like hanging around the cave entrance. Nick: There's probably more sharks further back. Brady Barr: Ah, yeah, that's reassuring, thanks, Nick. It's now back to business. But before I see any sharks. Octopus, octopus, octopus! It's an octopus on the ceiling, on the ceiling, there's an octopus! I've got to take a closer look at that. Ah, man, he is so ah, he's sticking onto my mask. He's got my face, he's got my face, man, he's suckered Nick: Hang on. I mean, that is so cool, bet there aren't many people that got an octopus stuck on their face. Nick: Hold on, I got to get a picture of this. Come on man, are you kidding me? Nick: I got to get a photo. Hurry, hurry if you're going to take a photo, take it quick. Alright, help me get it off. Do these things bite? Nick: They definitely can, yeah, but it looks like he just latched onto your mask for now. Brady Barr: He's very delicate. Alright, I'm gonna let him go, let him go, hang on, there he goes, there he goes. Oh, man, look, very graceful, that is beautiful. This octopus would be a perfect snack for a white tip reef shark, and one is close by, right there. There it is! Ahh. Oh, man, I tell ya, I am definitely uneasy, not only am I out of my element, but I'm dealing with animals that I have no experience with. And then, out of nowhere! Nick: Look, look, do you see it? Here he comes, here he comes. bigger shark. the shape of the white tips' head is very narrow. It can fit into these tight spaces. Nick and I see exactly how tight. This cave is an ancient lava tube. Its opening is almost big enough to fit a large car. The passageway then continues back about 20 meters until it's too narrow to measure any more. The cave walls are lined with deep crevices and ledges that the sharks lie under. Half way in there's a large air pocket. I still want to see how it is these sharks can lie motionless. And Nick still needs DNA from tissue samples. Nick: We're going to shoot him real quick, it's going to take a small little piece of tissue for our DNA study. Regulations dictate that Nick shoots his sample gun without scuba gear, but that's just the way he likes it. Nick: I can get further into the cave without all this scuba gear on; we can sneak into some of the cracks. And then also, it's a little bit quieter, you can sneak up and get closer to the sharks sometimes when you're not blowing bubbles from scuba gear. It's important, when you fire that spear gun, that we give the shark an exit route. We don't want to be between it and the only opening Nick: Right, exactly. That's better for the shark and it's better for us. When Nick fires his speargun, the shark will definitely react. And there's no telling what it's gonna do or where it will go. Okay, the sharks in position, Nick has taken off his He's going to free dive down here, holding his breath to shoot the shark to get a tissue sample. He may have to go under the ledge to get these two. These are big boys, too. Looks spooky back up under that ledge. He's going for a shot right here. Is he going to shoot it in the head? Oh, he went for the second shark, he went for the shark behind the first. His spear is stuck, I hope he's not tethered to that. There we go. some good aim, he shot it right past the face of the first shark. I don't know where that shark went, he's down here swimming around somewhere. As an inexperienced diver, I hate being down here alone, especially with agitated sharks. Whoa, whoa, whoa, that's a little too close for comfort, ah, man! Man, I did not like that, I thought I had him trapped here in a corner. Whoa, there's a second, there's two sharks, two sharks. Those are bigger animals, man, one was coming up behind me. Man, I'm down here by myself, Nick's on the surface, and they're hanging around the entrance. I don't know I'm in a cave surrounded by sharks. At last, Nick comes back to get one more tissue sample. The shark's right in front of me. It's sitting right here, okay, here we go. I'm a little nervous about what this shark's going to do after it feels this dart hit it. Oh, he got it, he got it, he got it. It's kicked up a lot of mud. It's going farther back into the cave. I notice that Nick startles these sharks from a virtual slumber! And if you look closely, you can see the white tip's secret, what allows them to rest on the bottom and still breathe. It's that motion of their mouth; it's called buccal pumping. It forces water over their gills so they don't have to rely on forward movement. The white tip's special ability to be still means they can rest in these caves all day long and do most of their hunting at night. I definitely want to get home before dark. That's enough for me, two sharks done. For his study, Nick needs to shoot samples from hundreds. But I'm heading up; I'm on low on air. These shark caves are fascinating, but I'm off to see the ultimate in underworld labyrinths. It's time to go. Narrator: Next. Head first in a cramped burrow. Brady comes face to face with a deadly creature. I've explored alligator burrows, bear dens and now shark caves. A shelter from the elements, a chamber to birth, and a place of seclusion. All these lairs dark and dangerous. But I've yet to explore what I consider the ultimate underground ecosystem, the fearsome burrows of the deadly, African, Aardvark. Well, okay, maybe it's not that deadly. Aardvarks are like big-eared pigs that eat ants and termites, but lots of danger lurks in their underground lairs. Aardvarks do all the building, but they aren't the only residents. Their burrows are often occupied by some other very lethal creatures. I want to explore these mysterious dwellings to see who's home and why. To find the burrows, I'm heading to the searing deserts of South Africa. It can be proposition if I run into an aardvark that's not expecting company. It can be even more dangerous if I run into one of the many tenants that also use these burrows, animals such as the hyena, the leopard, porcupine, warthog and any number of venomous snakes. This investigation is not for the faint at heart. That is an aardvark burrow, and you can see the incredibly large size of that hole. That's needed to get the big mass of an aardvark underground. Some holes are just too small to get a good look inside. But others make up for it. Good gosh, this may be the mother of all aardvark burrows. Look at the size of this. I mean, no telling what's inside of here. I'm going to check it out first and then I'm anxious to get some measurements on a burrow this size. As I explore each burrow, I measure the dimensions. Aardvarks dig lots of tunnels, not just one, sometimes creating a city of mini burrows. I'm finding that many of these link up, perhaps they're providing emergency exits. There are depressions and chambers and sometimes even a surprising amount of room. To find out how consistent these features are, I need to search out more burrows. This one smells like death. I'm going to have to keep my nerve. If I scream, put down the camera, come get me. Crawling in these burrows takes a little mental preparation. I've crawled in a lot of these burrows, but it's something I'll never get used to. It's very claustrophobic in there, it's hot, it doesn't smell good. It's dusty, it's dirty. And these things are filled with danger. Man, I tell you what, I don't know, I may be losing my nerve in my old age. I just find this horrifying. You know when you can smell an animal? There is definitely I got, there's a skull right in front of me, a gazelle skull. big ol' piece of fur over there, there's porcupine quills everywhere. Holy smokes, I just found a foot. This is totally fresh, too. This definitely is not a confidence builder, to find a fresh bloody animal foot. I can' t be sure what this is, but friend and biologist Hannes Botha is standing by outside. Hannes, I'm going to throw the foot out and see if you can identify it. What is it? Hannes: Porcupine. Well, what the hell would eat a porcupine? Hannes: A jackal could do that, a leopard could do that. Brady Barr: Leopard? Hannes: Yeah. I don't want to hear leopard. Are you kidding me? Thanks, Hannes. just cavernous. And I'm just too curious to turn back. An aardvark can dig a tunnel deep enough to conceal its entire body in just five minutes, and clearly they don't stop there. Ah, man, two blind passageways. There's a little rise in the tunnel, I don't know what's on the other side. And then a passageway goes off to the right and to the left. On the left, I thought I saw a shadow. I move in for a closer look. Snake! I need the snake tongs. Hurry! Hannes, give me the tongs. It's a cobra, we cannot go any farther. Ah, wait, wait, wait! We can't do this. Ahhh! Okay, I'm going to try and get it. Alright, I've got the snake, I've got the snake secured. This snake's venom is potentially fatal. I've got it. But how the hell do I get out? Man, I just don't know what to do, talk about scared. I mean, I want out of this burrow, I've got a very dangerous snake in my hands. You just see me shaking. Hannes, I got to get out of here quick, I'm getting claustrophobic. I think you're going to have to pull me out by the feet. Hannes: You okay? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Man, I'm not kidding you. Hannes, I've dealt with giant crocs, I've been in the water with sharks. I've put my hands on most of the most deadly snakes on the planet. I've never been as scared as I was in that burrow. This is a very, very dangerous snake. I'm very nervous and scared when I run into these on the surface. But down there in very tight quarters, it's Whew, I didn't think I was going to get out of that one. Egyptian cobra, out here in See, this is one of the animals that relies on these aardvark burrows for their survival. Because daytime temperatures out here on the surface get very, very hot, well over 100 degrees. These snakes can't survive that. They have to escape the heat of the day in Then when night falls, they come out and they go on the hunt, and that's when they make their living. They're out here looking for small birds, small mammals. These guys are even snake eaters. These guys eat a lot of puff adders, believe it or not, which is another very dangerous, deadly snake here in been so scared. Thank you for pulling me out. I didn't know what I was going to do. In the name of science, I could carry this investigation further, but in the name of safety, there is no way. There's a reason why habitats have been a mystery for so long. I've studied, first hand, animals that lead a double life. One visible existence in the daylight, the other, covert and subterranean. Some animals go below for seclusion, others to escape extreme weather, and still others to give birth. I've explored and mapped an underworld rarely seen and barely studied, and the toughest part? Being brave enough to stick your head in. I've definitely had my fill of aardvark burrows for today. I'm out of here. Brady Barr: There's a killer out there somewhere. We know there's a lot of predators around here. That just comes with the territory here in central Florida. If the baby is not here, we got a problem. Lee Lightsey: The baby's not here. Brady Barr: We keep getting evidence that there is a killer on the loose here. But while on the hunt for the killer. Something entirely unexpected happened. You want to cut him off? Something that changed the course of our entire What is that? You got him! That is a monster! He's swimming away with me! Eric: I got no way to hold him. Brady Barr: Come back, come back! I'm Brady Barr. Wild and dangerous animals are my passion. Now, I'm seeking out the creatures that live near you. I wouldn't want this in my backyard. That is a monster! And tangling with America's, backyard monsters. Are you kidding me? Oh, oh! Well, well, well, I'm back. Have you missed me? Lee Lightsey: Well, I'll tell you buddy, I'm working on the buggy here. The last time you were here I think it caught on fire. Now the muffler is about to fall off of it. Brady Barr: Every time I am here, there's problems with it. Lee Lightsey: I think it's mostly you. Brady Barr: But I heard you got a bigger problem. I've known Lee a long time and I mean, he'll call me every once in awhile and say, "Hey, why don't you come on down for a visit." But this time was a little different. He uh, seemed to have some urgency in his voice. He's like, "I'm losing livestock and I don't know to what." When I heard about Lee's problem, I mean, there's some candidates that jumped into my mind. I'm thinking coyotes, alligators, panther, maybe a bear. I mean, in this part of the country, there are a lot of candidates. As Florida's population grows, potential for runs-in with wildlife and big predators increases. And ranches like Lee's are literally on the front lines. Lee Lightsey: We just got some new rams. Brady Barr: Goats? Lee Lightsey: Whatever it is, it'd love to chomp on these new little rams. Brady Barr: Have you had goats disappear? Lee Lightsey: Yeah. Brady Barr: So it's not just cattle; goats as well. So things just disappear; you don't know where they disappear from. Lee Lightsey: You put all of your cattle in the pen and you notice that you're missing three calves; it's hard to say really where they are going. Brady Barr: Lee has got a lot of cattle on the property, but the ranch is a massive place, so you know, it's not like you're going to find a huge herd of cattle, I mean, they're all over the place. That's what makes this problem so difficult because I mean, the predator could continually be one step ahead of us. Lee Lightsey: These long horns had a baby the other day. Let's go check and make sure the baby is still with them. So the babies are really what worries you? Lee Lightsey: That's the vulnerable time. Brady Barr: You know a full grown cow with horns is not easy prey. It's the babies that predators target. Lee Lightsey: And I don't see the baby right off. If it were the cool of the morning or evening, I'd say maybe the mamma's off wandering around feeding but right now with them just here in the shade, the baby should be with them. Brady Barr: So if the baby is not here, we got a problem? baby is not here. Brady Barr: It's not, which is bad news. Lee Lightsey: Great. Well, here we are again. Brady Barr: Another of Lee's calves has come up missing. And whatever's taking them is still out there. So I decide to go to town and gather some information. When cattle country comes to mind, what part of the U.S. do you think about? The West, Texas, Oklahoma. You never hear about Okeechobee, Florida. But this is cattle country. Losing livestock occurs everywhere, different reasons in different parts of the country. Here in Florida, nearly 6,000 head of livestock are lost to predators each year. The bottom line is ranchers have a lot of time and energy and money invested in their livestock. So when there's a problem, man, they have to solve it as quickly as possible. So I wanna see if other local ranchers are losing livestock like Lee. And the place to find ranchers in these parts is the Ropers Café. My breakfast was a little greasy this morning. Napkins? Well, I had to use every one of them there. Gentlemen, I'm in Okeechobee County because I've heard there's a problem. A friend of mine owns a ranch out west of town and he's losing cattle, livestock, doesn't know what's taking them. Man 1: Don't think there's any doubt that coyotes have become a problem. Is that right? Man 1: Would you agree, Kev? Kevin: Coyotes are a problem but you can alleviate the problem. guys ever heard of a panther being in the area? Kevin: They come, they come and go. So that. Kevin: The range on a panther is, for a male panther, is 200 miles. Brady Barr: So that, that could occasionally take a cow. Man 1: There is a plethora of gators in Florida. I had two puppies that were almost a year old that probably weighed 50 pounds apiece. A gator with a head that big took one of them completely under the water. Brady Barr: If a gator's got a head this wide, a gator could take a calf, right? Man 1: Whatever it wants to. Brady Barr: Well, you said panthers could move through the area, there's a coyote problem, you have gators, anything else? You guys ever seen a bear in Okeechobee County? Kevin: There's been bears through here. Well thanks guys, I mean, I've learned a lot. You've been great. These ranchers confirmed my suspicions of what we may be up against. Now it's time to see for ourselves what we're dealing with. As Lee and I were headed back to his property, we get a call from another rancher in the area. Go ahead. Man 3: Lee, how you doing this morning? We're good. What's happening? Man 3: I got a twelve-foot alligator that is here right inside my fence and he's fixing to catch one of my calves. I got some newborn calves out there. It's a full grown gator must be twelve foot. C'mon man you gotta help me out there. You gotta catch this gator. Brady Barr: A rancher's seen a really big gator, he says a 12-footer patrolling his fence line, and it's in the same pasture where he has his cattle. Alright, you wanna cut him off? he's right there. That's a big gator. You can see this man's got a lot of cattle back here in the background. Called Lee 30 minutes ago, said, "Hey, I got a big gator harassing my cattle." We come out here and here he is. Lee Lightsey: He got a 15-acre lake here. He's got barbed wire fence all the way around, but right here on each side there's a chain link fence and he said he just drove by and the gator was just beating on the fence trying to go to this other lake. he wants this thing out of here because it's dangerous. Lee Lightsey: He wants him out of there. Brady Barr: An animal this size could easily eat a calf. There's no doubt about it an alligator this size could take a dog, goat, cow, just about anything it wants. Because gators are at the top of the food chain. The odds that this is your killer are pretty slim 'cause we had to drive to the other side of town. Lee Lightsey: Real slim but it's someone else's killer. So we have eliminated a potential issue. Brady Barr: Look, there's over a million gators in the state of Florida and there's a lot of people. More people encroaching into wildlife habitat, you're gonna have more dangerous encounters between people, livestock, pets and wildlife. So we need to remove this gator away from the ranch, but this is a big gator. I don't know if the two of us can load him up. Just two of us, we won't be able to I don't think. Brady Barr: We're gonna need the assistance of one of our camera men. Young Craig, come here, we need your help. Lee Lightsey: Come on now, get in there and get him. 1, 2, 3. Lee Lightsey: What happened to you? The gator got the best of him. Oh my goodness, you're hurting. Brady Barr: I don't know if it was in his jaws or what, but it was just like a hydraulic press. Lee Lightsey: Oh man, you're hurting. Brady Barr: Lee's a smart guy, I mean, the gears were always turning. I had no idea what he was doing backing into the lake. What he was gonna try to do is put the truck down to the alligator's level, so we wouldn't have to pick it up. We'd essentially float it to the back of the truck. Lee Lightsey: Can we drag him up in there right there? Brady Barr: The one thing you never want to experience is to be in the water (bleep) with a big, angry gator. But we had his jaws well secured. He wasn't going to bite me, so I think Lee had a, had a lot of fun with it. Man, the back of that truck is slippery! you need to do, Brady, wade out here, I'll pull, you pick him up and push him in. I think that will be our best bet. Brady, take the end of the rope to him, he can pull from the ground and and we'll pull. You ready? 1, 2, 3, go. Shut the tailgate Brady, keep the pressure on him. Brady Barr: Whew, that's a capture. wanted to let you know we caught He's about an eleven-and-a-half footer. You don't have to worry about your calves anymore. Man 3: I've got other things to worry about than worry about gators eating my calves. Thank you very much. Brady Barr: Now we gotta get back on the hunt and find your killer. Lee Lightsey: Ain't that the truth. Brady Barr: We know there's a lot of predators around here. with the territory. We're not sure what's taking these cows. So I took the opportunity to go on some scouting missions by myself, to see what I could find. A lot of these will leave sign, leave marks. Bears will leave marks on trees to mark their territory. Big cats mark their territory. I am gonna look for footprints, other kills, potential kills. Hard to say whether something killed it or it just died on its own. I just want to look for any sign. That's alligator poop. I'm looking for hair to try to help solve this mystery. You know, it's really intimidating walking around out here not knowing what I am looking for but I know out here somewhere. Look at this. That is fresh. That is a turtle carcass. Something has killed and eaten this turtle. We keep getting evidence that there's a killer on the loose here. These old kills could be a bear or a puma but around here it's probably gonna be coyotes. Coyotes have a reputation for taking out all sorts of livestock. But even a pack of coyotes is more likely to take a cat or a dog than a healthy calf. The border of Lee's property is one of these flood control canals. These canals and their levees literally crisscross Okeechobee County. You see right over here, that's the levee. The canal is right on the other side of that. Predators can come and go along that canal as well as that levee. Sneak in here at night, grab a prey item, grab something to eat. A calf or a cow and then head back to the canal or the levee and get outta here, leave the scene of the crime. The ranch is littered with old skeletons. But Lee's calves are disappearing entirely. And man, that's the calling card of a big gator. If a gator grabs a cow, you're not gonna find this. A gator is not going to eat part of it. It's gonna take you back to the canal. Like crocodiles, alligators are ambush predators. When an alligator takes a, a big hoofed mammal like a cow, it's, it's at a watering hole. That gator will explode out of the water, grab it by the nose. It drowns and the alligator's got a huge meal. So you know, we're oh, look, look, look! Gator right here, there's a gator right there in the shade of the tree. alligator nest, there is a mother alligator. Yeah, there's the nest. See? The nest is right in front of her. She lays her eggs in that nest and then she protects the nest from potential predators; raccoons, opossums. Look, she is hissing, she is saying don't mess with my nest. She is being a good mother. Unless a cow were to stumble onto her nest, I really don't think she is going to cause them any problems. All that she is concerned about is protecting the eggs in this nest. But I really don't think that a female alligator this size is taking down livestock, in my opinion. This isn't what we are looking for; we are looking for something, something different. Here is a perfect example. You can see where animals are coming under the fence. That's the levee and the canal is just about 30 yards. So what we may be seeing right here is literally the tracks of the killer. I am gonna set a camera trap up here. See if we can catch him in the act. You're not just going to stumble upon a big predator. You've got to rely on some covert activities and that's where these trail cameras are invaluable. They're going to be our eyes and ears all over the ranch. If anything passes in front of them, it's going to snap some photos, which hopefully will give us some leads on what animal may be behind these killings. Yeah this is good 'cause there is a pond here. This is where the cattle come down and drink. So it's going to shoot right, right next to this watering hole and we'll see what we get. This is perfect, perfect location. Now I gotta let the camera traps sit over night. I'm hoping they're gonna help me catch the cow killer in the act. next morning, I check the camera traps and find all of them had been tripped. Hey, we got some stuff. We got pictures. Look at that. Possum, raccoon, things you would expect to see at night. We're seeing lots of wildlife, mostly small scavengers. But then we see our first potential suspect. Coyote. Do you see many coyotes around here? Lee Lightsey: Not in the day time. Brady Barr: Yeah, I mean, they are phantoms, I guess coming in at night. That is a big one. Brady Barr: Yeah. That's a big coyote but I don't think he could take a calf all by himself. Over by the feeder we got cows coming in to get the molasses. We got wild hog; I got a lot of wild hog. You can find wild hogs just about everywhere. They can be dangerous to livestock but they aren't going to make a calf disappear. But then I see something that definitely could. Check this out. Look right here, is that a gator? It's like a gator with its mouth open, you see his teeth? It's like he is eating the camera. Exactly. It is so close and it's so washed out, it's a gator with his mouth open. That is a gator. See his teeth? Why would he be trying to eat the camera? I don't know. It gives a red glow when it takes a picture, I don't know, maybe he saw that. But you see it; I mean it's a gator's mouth open right on the camera. And that is right over there by the fence line. That's that camera we put over by the fence line. Where we thought something was coming under. That gator definitely could be a problem animal. You just need to get out there and get 'em. That could be the animal behind the killings. So now I want to have a look around the wetlands between Lee's fence line and the canals to see if there's any signs of that big gator. These saw grass marshes are just brutal because they are the most inaccessible places on the property. But that also makes them good, if you are a predator and you want to hide out. Tough going through here. So I decide to try another way. Lee's got an old canoe, here on the property. I figure that's a perfect, perfect thing that I can take with me. I spent better parts of the day paddling around through the swamps. Watch out. That's a gator. There's a gator right there. Did you see that? That's a gator right there! He's right there! Where is he? There he is! Scoot back, scoot, scoot back. Craig, where is he? Craig: Last time he came up, he was over here. Brady Barr: There's bubbles there, see. We gotta get the canoe, we somehow get the canoe out of here. Whoa, whoa, whoa, he's still there. He's still there. Did you see that? Whoa, whoa! (bleep), (bleep)! I think he is in the friggin' canoe. He is moving the canoe. I think that thing was in shallow water, we came up on top of it, and when we did, whomp! We decide to put a cameraman in the canoe with me just to get some close-ups of me paddling. And boom like a bolt of lightning, I'm out of the canoe and I'm in this horrible water. Craig: I scrambled up to shore in less than four seconds and, and he's just standing there like a mad man. a gator, right there! Initially, I just thought the cameraman lost his balance and his weight just kind of tipped the canoe. Craig: To be honest, I'm not understanding why he's not on shore with me. Brady Barr: There! Seeing the terror on his face and I see a swirl, I quickly came to grips that there's a big alligator in the water with us. I have been doing this for 20 years and I have never seen a gator or a croc flip a boat. We can pull the canoe out right here; that is probably the smart thing to do. I have never, I have never seen this happen. Unbelievable. That gator was pretty big and he was definitely This could be our culprit, but to find out, we've got to capture the animal. I'm not so sure I want to go after this bad boy alone. I'm gonna need some help. The state of Florida has over a million gators. And they have so many problem gators, that is, alligators that are threatening dogs, cats, livestock or even people, that they have licensed trappers that have to go out and remove these animals. I'm hooking up with Okeechobee County's licensed trapper, a guy by the name of Bumpy. Tell me you are the man they call Bumpy. Bumpy: Just about. Brady Barr: How are you sir? Bumpy: Just fine, how you doin'? Brady Barr: Good to see you this morning. How many gators do you think you've caught in your day? Bumpy: Hmm, probably fifty, sixty thousand. Brady Barr: Fifty, sixty thousand? So you've seen a few! Bumpy: I've seen a few gators. Brady Barr: We're starting our search in the canals near Lee's property. The gator that flipped our canoe may be the same one that's coming under the fence. I think the canal is the key to all of this. A gator that's in this rim canal could get over to Lee's ranch if it wanted to by just swimming in various canals and getting over there. Bumpy: Right and all he's gotta do is crawl across the levee. Brady Barr: Yeah, and I think that is what these big gators do. We saw tracks We got photographic evidence from the camera traps. And we know big gators use these canals as escape routes. I'm confident that the cow killer we're looking for is in this canal. But you know big gators they don't get big by being stupid. This is not going to be easy. Brady Barr: You have been out on the water a few nights, haven't you? Bumpy: A few nights, once or twice anyway. Spotting this gator at night could be tricky. We can't see bubble trails when he's submerged, and gators usually steer clear of boats. So we're using spotlights to scan for him at Somebody told me there were bugs in Okeechobee One or two. Sometimes they get bad and they are a little bad tonight. Brady Barr: I guess they're attracted to the lights. Bumpy: Yes. I think you could fry bacon on that light. Bumpy: I like the light, where I can see what I'm doing, because I still got my fingers and all and I want to keep 'em. the gator we're in these canals but where is anybody's guess. Oh, you see that lightning? Bumpy: I see that lightning. We're going to have to catch gator shortly before that get here. I am scared of lightning and I'm scared of snakes. Brady Barr: Snakes and lightning. You don't think that there are rogue gators that get a taste for cow or cats or dogs? No, no. I think that some of them do it. Well, like a person, you got persons good and you got persons bad. Brady Barr: So it's just livestock or pets are in the right place at the wrong time, that's all it is, gator just sees it as something to eat and takes it. That's right. Brady Barr: Hey, here's a gator right here. Do you see it? Right there. Bumpy: Yes, I see it. I'm going to have to make a long throw on him. the pressure's on. Bumpy is a master at catching gators on a rod and reel. We're using barbless hooks that won't hurt the gator but they'll allow us to snag his thick hide. Back up, right over there, right there, you see him? Can you cast that far? think I can. Brady Barr: There you go, you got him! He's on, baby! Bumpy: He's on there. Brady, you want to take it and give me a relief? Brady Barr: We got one on the line, now the question is do we have the cow killer? Hard to tell. He's swimming towards us seems deep. Water's deep here. Well, I can feel him rolling, doing something. He's coming up; there he is! You got him? Bumpy: He went through it! He went straight through the lariat. Brady Barr: What happened there? Should I keep fighting him? Bumpy: Just hold on to him. He wrapped the line. Brady Barr: Man, that thing is strong, alright, he's coming back up, are you re-rigged? Now, Bumpy I've brought him to the boat now four or five times, I think you're doing this on purpose! Bumpy: I'm a gator catcher, but I ain't no cowboy, I am not a cowboy. Brady Barr: Okay. That's a lot of work for a little gator. Bumpy: Ain't You done wore him out, Brady. Brady Barr: You almost knocked the cameraman out of the boat for a six-foot gator! That's a shrimp, I guarantee you this isn't a cow killer. Bumpy: Look at those little teeth there. Brady Barr: That would mess you up, that'd be like a buzz saw on your arm. Bumpy: That's for sure. Brady Barr: I'm bigger than that gator; that's not the one we're after. It's getting late; we need to keep looking to see if we can find a big one. Let's get after it. Bumpy: Okay. Brady Barr: We know the cow killer is in the area, but we don't know for how long. Tonight may be our only chance. Bumpy: He's coming back to us. is a monster. Bumpy: I got a something. pulling the boat. He's pulling the boat. Oh, look, he's coming up. Bumpy: That could have been a cow killer right there, he broke my hook off and the bad part, I ain't got another hook. Brady Barr: That was big, whatever it was. We had something big, big enough to break our line. But for now, it looks like our hunt for the cow killer is over. Bumpy and most of the camera crew head home and that's when all hell breaks loose. there he is. Look, look, look! See it? The cameraman and myself stayed behind to, to finish up packing the camera gear. That's when it happens. We start driving, bang, I see a giant alligator. It goes back into the wetland and it is literally right here in this little pool. If there was ever an alligator that was capable of eating cows, it's this one right here. We can't call everybody to come back, and uh, all the capture gear is in the other vehicle. Ropes, hooks, fishing rods, duct tape, I mean, everything. It's just me and my cameraman, Eric. Eric: What should we do? Brady Barr: If we head back into town to get the rest of the crew and the capture gear, this thing's gone. This thing is a phantom; you'll never see this animal again. Eric: Brady, seriously dude, that thing is gigantic. Brady Barr: We gotta try, I can't do it by myself. You are going to have to help me. Can you see it? Eric: Yeah, I got it. catching it; try to catch it. Eric: Well, what do we do? Brady Barr: I wanna see what we got; I wanna see what we got in the vehicle. Can I use these? Eric: Uh, yeah. These, these, I'm going to wear one of these. Tape. Tell me you have some tape? Eric: Nah, I don't have any tape. have no tape? How the hell do you not have tape? Eric: It's in the other car. Oh, dude, you know what I have jumper cables. is an awesome call. That is good. really good. Eric: That's all I got, man. Brady Barr: Do you have socks on? Eric: No. Brady Barr: No shoelaces? Shoelaces. This is going to sound crazy, but I'm also going to use my undies, I'm going to use the elastic from my underpants and um do you have undies on? Brady Barr: I think we oughta set as many cameras as we got up, I mean, let's set 'em up. We got a tripod, we got lights. Light is the key. We set up all our cameras and get them rolling. Get that one. Let's put that one. Do you have another tripod? Brady Barr: This is only gonna happen once and I need Eric's help to catch this gator. Is it, is it. Eric: It's rolling. Brady Barr: Good to go, I mean? Eric: I don't know; I will look at it. Brady Barr: I'm not gonna ask you to do anything you don't want to do. This is dangerous, I mean, I am not gonna kid you. I mean, you've been around these animals enough to know, that's a big gator. No question, this gator could take a calf and this pond sits right between Lee's fence and the canal. I think we can do it. He's up, he's up. He's right there. You see him Just see the tip of his nose. He's up. I'm going to go right now, okay? This is it, our one shot to capture this gator and find out if it's the cow killer. Eric: Brady, are you sure you want to do this, man? Brady Barr: I'm not, I am definitely not. Not knowing where he is, is the most dangerous part about this. I see his tail, see it? There's his tail. Eric: Got it, well his head must be right Brady Barr: Is that his head right there? where he's at; I need a longer stick. Where the hell is he? Oh, there he is! His head's up! He's right there, see him? You see him? Eric: Yeah, it's eye-ballin' me. Brady Barr: Okay, we gotta make sure we know where he's at. Okay, I do not want to lose him. He's comin', he's comin', he's comin'. Eric: Is it deep there? Holy crap! Brady Barr: This thing's aggressive, he's aggressive. Eric: There he is, there he is. Brady Barr: Where's that other stick? Oh, do not slip. Man, this thing, this thing is aggressive. Eric: I don't know man, seriously. Brady Barr: We gotta try to get him into some shallower water. Man, this thing. Eric: Where did he go? Eric: Do you want to rethink this? What do you think? Brady Barr: I want a longer stick, I know that. Normally, I would use a 14-foot-long pole, with a heavy rope and a metal snare on the end of it. But in this situation, I, I have none of that. Eric: Extend it, will it work? Brady Barr: Really? far does it go out? Eric: Far. that's better. You sure? Eric: Yeah. You don't think it'll be here in the morning? Brady Barr: No, there's no way. There's no way. Eric: Holy crap! Brady Barr: He just bit it in half. Well, so much for that pole. There he is right there, look. Eric: Yeah, I got him. He's coming. Eric: He's going to eat my light stand. See, that's what we want. I'm going to make a rope, if he charges us like that, I'm going to try to get something on his upper snout and then we'll try to pull him. That is one bad apple. I hate not knowing Eric: Okay, so what's the plan here? Brady Barr: The plan is we're going to try to get, if he charges us, I'm going to try to get this on his, on his jaws and then we'll tighten it up and we'll hold onto it, so we have some control. Okay, let's see if this will work. Is he still up? You get him? Brady Barr: I don't know if that's going to hold, but I got him, yes, I got him. Eric: What now? Brady Barr: I don't know, I don't know. We're just playing this by ear. Let's just see if we can get him to tire out, I mean, these things are incredibly powerful, but they tire out quite easily. Oh, he's going to roll, that'd be great. Eric: Is that good that he is rolling? well, we want him to tire himself out, that's what we want. Hey, you know what we could do? I mean, a thought just occurred to me. Seatbelts, we could cut the seatbelts out of the car. That's a big gator, that's a 12-footer. That is a big gator. Look at the size of that head. do I do? Brady Barr: Just hold him, don't let him go back. Just don't, I just have the upper jaw, right? Let me get the seatbelts real quick. Hurry Brady. Brady Barr: Huh? Eric: Hurry. I will, I will. Eric: He's growling. Eric: He's growling, he's eye balling me, I don't like it. Just sit tight. eye balling me. Just hang on. Eric: What the hell are you doing in there? Brady Barr: Just hang on, hang on. Well, it's not easy. You ever try cutting a seatbelt? hang on a second. Eric: So what are you going to do? Brady Barr: Look, if I do this, then I go like that and then tighten this up. Eric: Okay, so you're going to go down there? Brady Barr: Yeah, what I'm going to need you to do is try to pull his jaws up like that, see if I can get him and I'm going to try to keep my light. Eric: Tell me if I should let go of this. No, no, no, no, whatever you do, don't let go. Can you pull it up so I can see the lower jaw? I mean, it's key, I have to get the lower jaw. I don't know if I can tighten this up. Let me get another one and try and secure the jaws with the other jumper cable. Same thing, except I am gonna try and get both jaws in this jumper cable. And if I can do that, then I'm gonna jump on him. I gotta see his lower jaw; you see what I am trying to do? Brady Barr: Let me try and do this. We may just have one shot. fighting back. I know, I know, it's because I am going into the water. Just hang on, Eric: You got 'em? Brady Barr: Okay You know what? I'm going to throw my undies on his eyes. Perfect. I think I'm going to go onto the back, okay? hold that, hold that. Oh, shoot, it's deep. I'm gonna fall if I go in there with him. Eric: Do you want me to pull him up higher? No, no, no. Eric: I can pull him up more. Brady Barr: I can get him, I can go. Eric: Go, go. Are you sure? Eric: Well, go. I'm not letting go, Brady. not let him go. Eric: He's fighting back on me. Do not let go. Just stay there for a second. Let me just try to get this, let me get these jaws secured. Don't let up on that, don't let up on that. Eric: I'm not. I got it, I got it. Brady Barr: This thing could take my arm off. Just don't let him go, you hear me? Eric: I'm not, I'm not letting go. Brady Barr: He's gonna explode here in a second. Gimme the seatbelts, gimme the seatbelts. That's what I need. Eric: Got it? Brady Barr: Yes. Well, hold on, hold on, he's going back, he's going back. Eric: I got him, he's going back! He's going back! Brady Barr: I know, I know, I know. Don't let him go back! going back! Brady Barr: Don't let him go back! Don't let him go, don't let him go! Don't let him go! Eric: Dude, I'm losing him! Eric: I'm at the end. Eric: These things are so slippery. I know. him go. I'm in a super dangerous position right here, are you okay? Brady Barr: At this point, we have been fighting this gator for over an hour, but I think we're getting the upper hand. Eric: Let's just get him up here. one, two, three. Okay. I gotta stay here, I gotta stay up here. Eric: Get on his back. Yeah, get on his back. you are gonna have to lock that off and you're gonna have to sit where I am sitting for me to get the legs. Eric: Okay. sit right there. Leg on either side. Just sit on his head. This is a little uncomfortable. Eric: It is. Brady Barr: You're invading my space. Alright, I am going back. of that foot. Eric: Brady! I'm off, I'm off where's the strap? used it to tie he's swimming away with me! Come back! Come back. Come get the tail! come get the tail! Brady, Brady. We've got to get him back to shore. Eric: I know. almost there; we're almost out of the hole. Arghh! Hang on. Just a little more. Cut out every friggin' seatbelt there is. You gotta hurry. Please hurry. I am spent. We nearly lost him once. And if it happens again, this thing is gone. We'll never know if it's our cow killer. We are gonna just secure these legs. I am gonna have to turn around. Eric: Go, go, go, go. Brady Barr: Let me take care of the front ones, the back ones are the biggest problem. Eric: So no matter what, just don't get off? Don't get off, just don't get off. He's not happy. Not happy. Eric: You got him? That, where I come from is what you call an old fashion ass kicking and the gator did the kicking. Eric: That was awesome, dude. Brady Barr: I'll tell you what; we just caught a monster gator. You're invading my space. Alright, I am going back. Eric's not a small guy; it threw him off of there like he was a rag doll. Eric: Brady, I'm off, I'm off! way to hold him! I was hanging on for dear life. I have never had one swim away with me on its back. I hope it's something I never experience again. Horrifying. Eric: Probably the worst part about this experience for me is having to touch Brady's underwear. Brady Barr: I think it was a huge relief for me and Eric when we both hooked up with the rest of the team and man, they about fell over when they saw what we captured. I am glad you guys are here this morning but I sure could have used you last night. I'll tell you what, the cameraman is happy to be back behind the camera where he belongs. I feel pretty confident that this is the But the only way to be certain is to pump his stomach and see what we find. Alright, we are ready to pump. I think we'll swing him sideways. I mean, this thing is heavy. We'll get sideways, you guys can hold the tail and when his stomach fills with water, you just push and we will see what comes out of the stomach. Gators can't digest hair, hooves and most things that are man-made. So it's a really good way for us to see what this gator has been eating. The stomach flushing technique, it may look a little uncomfortable but it doesn't cause the gator any problems whatsoever. something big just came out. It was a snake, I think. Something big I saw, felt and heard some stuff come out. Alright, let's roll it back. Whoa, wait just a second. This looks like leaves and grass and stuff, which, for whatever reason is in there. Pour right through there? I tell ya, I felt something big come out. Just dump it all in there. what in the world is that? I thought it was a snake when it came out. Lee Lightsey: It's a rubber worm. Brady Barr: It's a fishing worm. That's what it is; it's a rubber fishing worm. Lee Lightsey: Look at this, a dog collar. Brady Barr: No telling how long that's been in there. This is incredible. I mean, you talk about a killer. lost any dogs? I haven't. But the neighbors called the other day asking about a dog. think that all the pieces just fit together. The hole in the fence, the camera trap footage, the capture near the canal. got the killer. I think he comes in here, makes periodic raids, steals goats, dogs, calves, and then goes back to the canal where it's deep water. Your property goes right up to this canal and that's where these big gators hang out. I feel so good that I helped solve the mystery, that we were able to remove this nuisance gator. But is the problem solved? No. 'Cause you got over a million gators and millions of people living in the state of Florida. And the easiest prey to take is pets and livestock. That's just the bottom line. So these problem to go to a captive situation. It is a complicated problem and it is not going away any time soon.