Officials with the Queensland, Australia Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation are investigating Floridian influencer Mike Holston over two videos posted of him wrestling local crocodiles – one freshwater crocodile, the other saltwater, 9News reports, quoting a spokesperson saying “These actions are extremely dangerous and illegal, and we are actively exploring strong compliance action including fines to deter any person from this type of behavior.”
“Let us be clear: people should not attempt to capture freshwater or saltwater crocodiles in Queensland, unless they are trained and licensed to do so,” the official continued.
Holston says he made the videos for “educational purposes,” but PETA Australia is calling for him to be deported, saying “Aside from it being illegal and unfathomably stupid to interfere with a crocodile in Queensland, it’s also incredibly cruel. 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.”
Holston, a Rhode Island native who works at Zoological Wildlife Foundation of Mario and Maria Tabraue in Miami, has at least 15 million followers on Instagram where goes by “The Real Tarzann.”