A US social media star is facing heat Down Under after posting videos of himself wrangling wild crocodiles in Queensland. Mike Holston—known as "The Real Tarzann" to his millions of followers—posted two viral clips: one featuring a tussle with a freshwater croc in shallow water, and another showing him gripping a juvenile saltwater crocodile, a species infamous for its aggression, per the BBC.
Holston says the stunts were meant to educate, but Australian wildlife officials aren't buying it. Queensland's Environment Department is investigating, warning that harassing crocodiles is both "extremely dangerous and illegal," with fines that can exceed $24,000. The state has even recently ramped up legislation to curb risky animal encounters, making it an offense to accidentally feed crocs by leaving food in a place that would draw them to public areas.
Crocodile experts are troubled by the videos—especially the one featuring the subdued saltwater croc, which, they note, should have been more combative. Bob Irwin, father of the late Steve Irwin, condemned Holston's actions and stressed that handling crocodiles safely requires real expertise. "This bloke clearly had no clue," Irwin says in a statement, per the BBC, warning that social media stunts like these put both animals and humans at risk.
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Some are now even calling for influencers who try stunts like this to be deported, reports ABC Australia. "Just like wombats, koalas, and other native Australian wildlife, crocodiles are sensitive individuals who experience pain and stress, and who deserve to live in peace without fear that visiting influencers will tackle and roughly handle them," PETA says in a statement. Despite the criticism, Holston defended his actions online, assuring followers that the saltwater croc was released after he recorded the interaction and urging others not to imitate his antics.
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