Shocking Life of Hulky 'New Steve Irwin': American Influencer Who Goes By Handle 'The Real Tarzan' Under Investigation in Australia Over Controversial Crocodile Videos
Mike Holston, or The Real Tarzann, is getting ripped for his crocodile videos.
Sept. 12 2025, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
A popular influencer is in some hot water after videos revealed him capturing and restraining wild crocodiles in Australia, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Mike Holston, better known as The Real Tarzann on social media, recently posted two videos to his Instagram, including one in which he appears to wrestle a crocodile, as the animal ends up on his back.
What Did Mike Holston Do To Crocodiles?
Mike Holston, known as The Real Tarzann on social media, is facing backlash over his crocodile videos.
"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 Queensland environment department said in a statement.
In one clip, the influencer jumps into shallow waters from a boat and heads toward what he reveals is a freshwater crocodile, before he hops on it and wrestles it. During the struggle, blood is visible on Holston's left arm as he grabs the neck of the crocodile.
"This is what dreams are made of," Holston gushes in the video as he holds the crocodile.
Holston Ripped On Social Media
In the second clip shared by Holston, the social media star is seen chasing after a juvenile saltwater crocodile. He then grabs the reptile in a way that was "completely uncharacteristic," according to crocodile experts.
They explained: "In normal conditions, such an animal would writhe and thrash about wildly, seeking to escape."
Following backlash, Holston claimed in the comments section that the reptile he captured was "released after a few close looks and photos were taken." However, angry users weren't buying it.
"Leave animals alone..it's that simple," one person raged.
Famous Biologist And Conservationist Goes Off On Holston
Holston is seen capturing and restraining the reptiles in shocking videos, which have been criticized.
Another went off: "Unnecessary cruelty for likes and clout. I hope the investigation leads to your arrest," and one said, "So sad to watch this, the crocodile is clearly so stressed out."
The videos have been buried in so much controversy that Bob Irwin, father of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, responded and urged for greater penalties for similar social media posts involving animals.
"People visiting our country need to respect our wildlife, or they need to be booted out the door," he said in a statement.
Popular American wildlife biologist and conservationist Jeff Corwin also slammed Holston's clips.
The social media user has been ripped by Irwin's father, Bob, and even Jeff Corwin.
He said in an interview: "Australia has faced incredible conservation challenges, from invasive species and habitat loss and a very rapidly changing climate, so they have all hands on deck to protect wildlife.
"And a lot of people may be surprised to discover that top on their list for protecting are the reptiles."
Corwin also warned people not to try and chase down and capture these dangerous animals.
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Irwin's father, Bob, also bashed Holston over the videos.
"If you're reckless, if you don’t know what you're doing and you’re being negligent or manhandling that crocodile, you could severely injure that crocodile," Corwin added. "Yes, they’re tough, and they're time-tested – they've been on our Earth for 60 million years – but they are sensitive creatures."
In Australia, the maximum penalty for interfering with a crocodile is a fine of $25,000.
Holston has yet to comment, but his Instagram remains active.
