A Cuban resident in Florida, identified on TikTok as @calos.reyes69, is the star of a video that leaves no one indifferent: for nearly five minutes, he attempts to remove a piece of nylon tangled around the head of a alligator he affectionately calls "Boca" and interacts with as if it were a domestic pet.
"Well, today I had to buy food for Boca because I was away," is the line that opens the clip, making it clear that the man regularly cares for the reptile and that their relationship goes far beyond a chance encounter.
Throughout the recording, the Cuban repeatedly tries to lure the animal towards him to reach the nylon, without any kind of protection. The alligator doesn't always cooperate: at several moments, it shows signs of aggression, something the man acknowledges with humor. "Now he's in a bad mood, let's see how the hell I can get it," he remarks with laughter.
A man's patience is tested for several minutes. "Come here, Mom, come on, don't be difficult; I just want to get that garbage off you," he says to the reptile as he tries to approach without provoking it.
After nearly four minutes of verbal and physical struggle, he achieves his goal. "Oh, thank God, thank you, my lord, I was able to take it away, now come eat," he exclaims with relief. The outcome confirms their mutual trust: the alligator calmly comes to eat, and he interprets this as a clear sign. "She trusts me, now she’s coming to eat," he says, satisfied.
The video also conveys an implicit message about environmental pollution. At one point in the clip, the protagonist laments, "People are throwing nylon here." Plastic waste poses a threat to crocodilians, who can become entangled in it or ingest it, leading to consequences ranging from serious injuries to death.
Videos of Cubans interacting with alligators and crocodiles have become a recurring genre on social media, but few display the level of familiarity —and danger— that the protagonist of this clip shows, as he never seems to consider that the animal in front of him weighs several kilos and has jaws capable of inflicting irreversible damage.
In April, a video of Cubans bathing in a spring in Florida with a crocodile present sparked controversy due to the recklessness it displayed.
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