Extraordinary moment the 'Outback Wrangler' nonchalantly pushes away a huge crocodile as the beast stalks him in a river - then treats it like a DOG
He's got a reputation for being fearless around the most dangerous of animals, but Australia's Outback Wrangler Matt Wright's latest video takes the cake.
Mr Wright shared a video titled 'dangerous work' with his 307,000 Instagram followers on Tuesday, showing him pushing away a four-metre crocodile by the snout.
In the footage, Wright explains that he and co-worker Tommy Nichols were clearing logs in a Northern Territory waterway when the beast began tailing behind them.
Matt Wright was clearing logs in a Northern Territory waterway this week when a crocodile began tailing him and his co-worker Tommy Nichols
'We've been having a bit of a hard time, we have a little friend that has come to visit us,' he says as he pans the camera to show a crocodile idling by his leg.
Wright shoves the animal's jaw away with his right hand, turns his back on the animal, then wads through the knee-deep water back to help Nichols with the job.
But within seconds, the apex predator starts swimming back towards him.
'Utt, give it up,' he says to the crocodile, pushing its muzzle down into the water.
'We are trying to get some work done.'
When the animal refuses to halt, he resorts to treating it like a dog, pointing his finger at it and ordering it to 'stay'.
The clip quickly racked up more than 150,000 views, with fans commenting it is the sort of thing that would 'only happen in Australia'.
'Welcome to Australia,' one person wrote.
'This is the most Australian thing I have watched,' another added.
Others were amused that Wright treated the bone-cruncher like man's best friend.
Matt Wright is a helicopter pilot and wildlife relocator who is also the star of the National Geographic show 'Outback Wrangler' and his new show, 'Monster Croc Wrangler'. He is pictured with his wife Kaia
'Australians literally give no f***s. I swat flies in America. These blokes are literally swatting crocodiles like they're puppies,' a foreigner wrote.
'Can't wait until tourists see this and think Crocs are big puppies. What could possibly go wrong?'
A few said Wright reminded them of late Australian icon Steve Irwin.
'I’m convinced he is Steve Irwin reincarnated,' one said.
'Steve Irwin's lost twin brother,' another noted.
A second video posted to Wright's Instagram page days earlier shows Nichols handling another crocodile in a similar way after it jumped up and snapped at him.
Wright is a helicopter pilot and wildlife relocator who is also the star of the National Geographic show 'Outback Wrangler' and Australian series 'Monster Croc Wrangler.'
The series follow Mr Wright throughout his numerous adventures in the Australian Outback where he encounters and captures large animals.
Wright tried to keep the crocodile away while co-worker Tommy Nichols removed logs from the water