HOLIDAY, Fla. _ Kevin Jessup had an awfully rude awakening. Police phoned him the other morning and told him not to go outside because there was a big gator on his front porch.

He looked out the window and sure enough there was an alligator outside his home in Holiday, Florida. But the plumber wasn’t about to let a large reptile spoil his sleep. He tells the St. Petersburg Times that after a quick look, he went back to bed. A trapper later caught the alligator.

Can you imagine being trapped in these jaws?

A 61 year old Australian woman Alicia Sorohan was recently awarded Australia’s star of bravery which recognizes citizens for outstanding acts of bravery.

In October, 2004 she was camping with friends on the Northern Cape York Peninsula when she was awakened early one morning byt the sound of screaming. The family friend, Andrew Kerr, was being dragged out of his tent by a 300kg 4 metre long salt water crocodile.

Lucky for Kerr, Sorohan had eaten her wheaties that morning and she promptly “did what anyone would do” (Would You?) and jumped onto it’s back and started wrestling with it to free her friend from the jaws of the large reptile.

Disrupted from it’s attempt at a free meal the croc turned on her, breaking her nose and almost ripping her arm off before the gigantic crocodilian was shot by her son Jason. Sorohan sustained permanent damage to her arm, stating she doesn’t have full movement. Repairs included two permanent plates and 12 screws in her arm.

She says “It was pretty scary but it’s one of those things - if you see someone in trouble you’ve got to help them. He was a big one but I’d do the same again.” Sorohan and her family have since returned to the campsite, reasoning that there is risk anywhere, and that she could just as easily be run over by a bus while crossing the road.

That’s one brave lady!

BTW I didn’t add this story to enforce the fear of reptiles in people. I’m actually a reptile owner and one of my good internet friends Dr. Adam Britton does quite a bit of research on Crocodile and alligator poplulations worldwide.