A video of an alligator eating a drone has gone viral on social media. The clip was caught the attention of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who usually posts straightforward tweets.
The video reportedly shot in Florida shows the alligator snapping at a small drone hovering above it. One sees the gator chewing the device as smoke comes out of the animal’s mouth.
The drone operator said that they thought the drone sensors would keep the device safe from the alligator. “We were trying to get a close up of the gator with its mouth open and thought the obstacle avoidance would make the drone fly away. [It] was only our second time using the spark,” they wrote in the video’s caption. Watch the viral video here:
Alligator eats drone
https://youtu.be/gus5FMGtEok
The video was posted on Twitter by Chris Anderson, the founder and former CEO of 3DR, a California-based drone company. “Alligator snatches drone out of the air, and it promptly catches fire in its mouth,” Anderson wrote.
Pichai retweeted Anderson’s post.
For some reason the fact that @sundarpichai retweeted this really amuses me. Maybe it’s nice to know he gets the same thrill out of the bizarre but enjoyable content we all find on the internet, often through his company’s products.
— Matt Kellogg (@Matt_Kellogg) September 1, 2021
Many netizens criticized the drone operator for using the drone around wildlife.
One user said, “This is part of why it is illegal to harass wildlife by flying drones near them. This was devastating and disgusting.” Another wrote, “Alligator did not venture near drone..drone ventured near an alligator.”
A third user-added, “The alligator was defending itself from what appeared to be a threat.” Yet another commented, “For some reason, the fact that @sundarpichai retweeted this really amuses me. Maybe it’s nice to know he gets the same thrill out of the bizarre but enjoyable content we all find on the internet, often through his company’s products.”