'Alertness is imperative'

Gator Boys on Discovery Channel is full of non-stop action and monster sized alligators. PAUl BEDARD tells SHAlINI SAKSENA how he doesn’t have self-preservation skills when it comes to these cold-blooded animals & his worst injury has been a five-time bite on the head

• What should audience members expect from this season of the showIJ

Gator Boys follows our death-defying exploits. We risk injury and death to hand-capture troublesome alligators that have invaded the back yards, swimming pools, garages and bedrooms of Florida Everglades residents. Viewers will find us helping the local residents who find they are crossing paths with deadly 1,000-pound reptiles.

• From a viewer’s perspective, it looks like you don’t have much fear. Is that trueIJ

Yes. But because I don’t have that self-preservation skill. But if I see the gator or the crocodile, it’s not a problem. It’s the one I don’t see that I worry about. A lot of times I’m swimming on the surface looking for a gator, I’m focused on a ledge that he may be laying on or the bottom or the centre of the canal and had gators come out of the lily pads. It’s not the one you see that you worry about, it’s the one you don’t see.

• What is the worst injury you have had while dealing with alligatorsIJ

I’ve been bitten probably over 30 times. I’ve had some good size holes ripped into my arms. I’ve had my fingers and hands crushed. But getting bitten in the head five times was a rather bad experience.

• In one episode Jimmy puts his head in the gators mouth. How did that happenIJ

There’s a lot of the times Jimmy will do that just to see if the gator’s tired enough. It’s just another way to gauge how much energy he has left.

• What is the kind of preparation needed while shootingIJ

It may sound kind of weird but one can’t get too complacent or lackadaisical with the gators. We do it so often that it has become a habit. One doesn’t really think of it as being dangerous or anything. One just goes through it and tries to do what you’ve got to do to get the job done. But one has to  always remember that if a single mistake can  will kill you or rip your arm off.

• How alert do you have to be around gatorsIJ

The alligators are strong and powerful animals. They can get violent if they perceive an attack and in such a situation they can hurt themselves. One has to use the safest methods — for the animal and us. But Jimmy and I have so much experience with them we know what we can get away with and what we can’t. So, if we can pull a gator, let’s say out of a swimming pool, without getting him all banged up, I’d rather do that.