See You Later Alligator: Zoo Man's Lucky Escape

An American zoologist has been attacked by a 10ft-long alligator as he tried to capture it from beside a highway.

Fred Boyce, a specialist in amphibians and reptiles at Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium in North Carolina, was lucky not to lose his arm in the attack - which was caught on camera.

The 300lb beast was spotted by a passing motorist in Stacy, a small township located on the state's eastern coast.

US reports said a call was made to the aquarium asking for advice on how to handle it and on hearing about it Mr Boyce decided to head to the scene.

Once there, he has been quoted as saying he feared the alligator would be killed, so he decided to try moving it himself.

His strategy involved placing a towel over the animal's eyes, then approaching it from the rear - seemingly in a bid to grab its giant mouth before local firefighters pounced.

But in an instant, the angry alligator jerked its head around and seized Mr Boyce's arm.

Following a scuffle, the shocked zoologist managed to crawl away from the beast.

Captain Richard Venable, of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, said once Mr Boyce was out of the highway ditch, they turned their attention to the giant reptile.

"We formed a plan to capture it, put it in a container, and take it away," he said.

The alligator was later released back into the wild, away from homes and major highways.

Mr Boyce, was treated in hospital and released. Luckily, he only suffered minor injuries.

Speaking to local American channel WNCT he said he would never attempt such a move again.

"I'm not really proud of this video and I know it's not my best work," he said.

He added: "It was not a pleasant feeling, and I think it was that feeling of oh, I really messed this one up."