Who is Mike Holston, a US influencer under fire for wrestling wild crocodiles?

Mike Holston, better known online as “The Real Tarzann,” is a US wildlife influencer famous for high-adrenaline animal encounters. But his latest stunt in Australia has pushed him into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

In a viral video, Holston is seen leaping into a waterhole in Far North Queensland and wrestling a freshwater crocodile with his bare hands. The reptile thrashed violently as he tried to hold it down, leaving him with cuts and scratches, and sparking an uproar online.

What Holston described as a lifelong “dream come true” has instead unleashed a wave of outrage from conservationists, government officials, and animal lovers who say he crossed a dangerous line.

Here’s what happened

Holston wrestles crocodiles

On Friday, Holston shared a dramatic clip of himself jumping out of a boat and wading through ankle-deep water towards a crocodile that was basking in the sun.

As the startled reptile tried to slip away into the water, Holston sprinted forward and leapt onto its back, pinning it down.

“He got a hold of me. But I got a hold of him,” the 31-year-old joked to the camera, even as blood trickled from his arm where the croc had bitten him.

“Holy sh*t! He got a good piece of my arm there,” he added, laughing while clutching the animal tightly around its neck.

In the footage, the crocodile can be heard groaning in distress as Holston lifts it up to show off its size. “This is sick. This is what dreams are made of,” he said, before finally releasing the reptile, which whipped its tail furiously as it swam away.

The crocodile wrestling wasn’t a one-off. Over the past four days, Holston has posted several videos of himself catching both freshwater and saltwater crocs on Cape York. One of the clips has already racked up over 32 million views on Instagram.

Also read: Explained: How these endangered Australian animals could be mating themselves to death

Holston faces backlash from Australia

Holston’s viral stunt may have racked up millions of views, but in Australia, it triggered outrage from locals, authorities, and animal activists.

Many online accused him of deliberately distressing the crocodile just for clicks. “Why would you stress a croc like that just for Insta likes? Just cruel,” one user wrote.

Another added: “Just leave them alone you nob.” A third comment read, “You are the monster … not the crocodile.”

Animal rights group Peta went even further, calling for Holston to be punished, deported, and permanently banned from entering Australia again.

“Aside from it being illegal and unfathomably stupid to interfere with a crocodile in Queensland, it’s also incredibly cruel,” Peta advisor Mimi Bekhechi told ABC News.

She added that crocodiles, like koalas or wombats, “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.”

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli didn’t mince his words either, labelling Holston a “goose.”

He warned that stunts like this could easily backfire: “If you think that is a sustainable business model to go wrestling with saltwater crocodiles, I think it’s probably not going to end the way he thinks it’s going to.”

Beyond the outrage, Holston could also face serious consequences. Under Queensland law, interfering with a saltwater crocodile can bring fines of more than $8,000 (Rs 4.67 lakh), or up to $37,500 (Rs 21.19 lakh) if the case goes to court. The maximum penalty for disturbing a freshwater crocodile is $27,539 (Rs 16.09).

For context, crocodile encounters in Australia are no joke. The CrocAttack global database has recorded 46 fatal attacks in the country since 1969.

Why experts are worried

Wildlife experts say Holston’s crocodile stunt isn’t just reckless, it’s dangerous for both people and animals.

Dr Meg Shaw, a research fellow at Monash University’s BehaviourWorks, told ABC News that videos like these can have ripple effects online.

“The more we see this kind of content posted, the more it becomes normalised,” she explained. “Viewers might think, ‘oh, this person did it, so it must be fine’. And when those posts rack up millions of likes and comments, it can tempt others to copy the behaviour for attention.”

According to Dr Shaw, the fallout goes beyond the risk of serious injury. Her research shows that such content can actually make wild animals appear less endangered than they really are, or even give viewers the false idea that they’d make good pets. “In a way, this content is saying ‘this animal is a prop, not a living being,’” she said.

Holston, for his part, brushed off the criticism. In a reply on his video, he said the crocodile was released “after a few up-close looks and photos,” and stressed that he didn’t encourage anyone else to try what he did.

Also read: How cars and chlamydia are threatening Australian koalas

Not the first case

But this isn’t the first time an influencer has sparked outrage for messing with Australian wildlife.

Just a few months ago, a US content creator, Sam Jones, caused fury after posting a video of herself picking up a baby wombat from the side of the road while its distressed mother looked on.

American hunting influencer removes baby wombat from distressed mother in Australia. Is this legal? pic.twitter.com/7vvsoM6WQu

— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) March 11, 2025

She was slammed by animal lovers and even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called the act irresponsible. The woman later apologised, saying she had made a “snap judgment” to check if the animal was injured.

Back in 2023, another influencer, Jaylie Tori, was also criticised after she filmed herself feeding a live chicken to a crocodile near Babinda.

With input from agencies

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