Steve Irwin’s Father Goes Scorched Earth On American Influencer’s Viral Crocodile Catching Video

The father of late, great Steve Irwin is laying down the law.

American wildlife influencer, Mike Holston, is under fire and a criminal investigation for a stunt he pulled while visiting Australia. The influencer, who goes by The Real Tarzan, has over 15.5 million Instagram followers, showing off his reptile “taming” and wrestling.

In a recent post, Holston is seen stealthily approaching a freshwater crocodile, chasing after and later catching it. Holding the croc by its throat, Holston tells fans that coming to Australia was always a dream of his.

“This is sick. This is what dreams are made of. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to come to Australia and just look at crocodiles, catch a few with my hands, see them up close.”

He says to the camera as he keeps a tight grip on the animal. As he does so, the animal is breathing heavily, seeming stressed out and anxious. As he’s talking about the croc, the animal twists itself free and flees the scene, leaving Holston with a few bite marks from their scrape at the start of the video.

If you want to watch the footage, you can do so here.

After the video picked up traction, it did not take long for folks to get upset with the footage, especially Australian natives, who cried for wildlife protection laws to be reformed in the digital age of creators thinking they are Steve Irwin. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also called for Holston to be deported and made so that he’s unable to return to Australia in the future.

“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.”

The activist group stated, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

But PETA was not the only one speaking up after the video went viral. Steve Irwin’s father, Bob Irwin, went scorched earth on the influencer, saying that Holston is “encouraging and glorifying harmful wildlife interactions.”

“And that’s because that’s exactly what content creators like the Real Tarzan are in my books – d**kheads. Because anyone who harms wildlife for fun, is.”

According to The Guardian, the Queensland environment department issued a statement on Tuesday, stating that it was “actively investigating two videos circulating on social media” from Holston, both shot in Cape York, where he jumps out of boats and wrangles crocodiles.

“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.

The statement stated that the maximum penalty for interfering with a saltwater crocodile is $37,500, with an on-the-spot fine of $8,345.

However, Bob Irwin continued to speak out on the situation, calling for punishment for interfering with freshwater crocodiles to be harsher because it’s a walk in the park for an influencer to pay a small fine and then go on their way, continuing to post content.

“The repeated line from our regulators of ‘we are investigating’ in response to these incidents is wearing thin.

The message is only going to sink in when we see these so-called influencers held to account and understand that 15 million followers don’t make you exempt from the laws that protect our wildlife. It’s disappointing to understand that not one person has been prosecuted in Queensland since the new legislation was introduced.”

Crocodile advocate Amanda French echoed statements made by Irwin:

“That’s a walk in the park for someone like that who is prepared to fly out to Australia, get as much content travelling around as he can, and put it out on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube.” 

French also pointed out many other instances featuring influencers interacting with crocodiles in unlawful and unethical ways without repercussion. French shared that this is a prime example of influencers using their platforms for the wrong reasons. Holston has shared that his love for reptiles was influenced by the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, but he’s recklessly using that influence.

“(Steve Irwin) was the original influencer, there’s no doubt about that. But there was no social media back then, there was no ability for people to go, ‘Hey, I’m going to go and do that, and monetize my account, and get that dramatic footage, and I’ll be rewarded.’

“That is not education. It is glorifying illegal, harmful activity to our wildlife. And the difference is: Steve Irwin had a permit.”

Wild animals are meant to be wild, and Mike Holston’s videos are not only dangerous but also promotes illegal activity. It will be interesting to see if Holston addresses the backlash for his actions or continues on his Real Tarzan ways.The post Steve Irwin’s Father Goes Scorched Earth On American Influencer’s Viral Crocodile Catching Video first appeared on Whiskey Riff.