A Texas dad claimed he thought his child was playing hooky on her first day when she told him there was an alligator at his front door. However, she wasn’t lying, and the man had to use moves he learned from idol Steve Irwin to take down the predator.

“I’m thinking she’s joking, she’s trying to skip school, not go to school. I say, ‘Just stop! We’re going to school today. Just stop it,” Mike Trinh said to Houston’s KPRC2.

“Walked in front like, ‘Holy…yeah, there’s a gator!’”

The huge gator sat in the family’s driveway in Missouri City. Situated in front of the door, it blocked Trinh’s daughter from getting to school. It also prevented him from getting to his restaurant: Mike’s Seafood.

Trinh channeled his childhood hero, Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, after no local authorities were available.

“Crickey!” the father said. “I’m doing it.” He said he learned a towel trick from Irwin that he employed on the alligator.

He told his 19-year-old daughter to video the scene because “no one is going to believe me if I told them!” Trinh threw several towels on the alligator’s mouth.

After successfully covering the gator’s head, Trinh brought his daughter to school. However, when he returned to find the animal still in his driveway.

With help from his 19-year-old, Trinh then wrestled the reptile. The pair securely wrapped the animal’s jaws closed with duct tape.

A friend helped Trinh load the animal into his car. They drove to a nearby pond, where they released the beast. Footage from the scene can be viewed here.

Steve Irwin’s Granddaughter Recognizes ‘Grandpa Crocodile’ On Australian Zoo Poster

Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late legendary outdoorsman and conservationist Steve Irwin, posted a heartwarming video on Instagram on Sunday, July 31.

In the video clip, Irwin walks with her daughter Grace as they are at the Australian Zoo. As toddler Grace walks alongside a construction barrier, she points to photos on the barrier. The photo placards contain the image of the child’s late grandfather Steve Irwin in a construction hat.

“Do you see him? Is he over here?” asks Bindi to her daughter. “Do you love Grandpa Crocodile?” Irwin can be heard saying in the clip, as the adorable tot responds, “Yeah!”

Then, in her Instagram caption, Bindi explained Grace’s favorite part of the trip. “We have a little construction going on to make our Tasmanian devil habitat @australiazoo even more beautiful. Grace’s favourite part? Visiting Grandpa Crocodile. All the love.”

Bindi Irwin, who is married to husband Chandler Powell, frequently speaks about her father’s incredible influence on their family and the world. She spoke about how her late father inspires her young daughter, Grace. In May, she told People that tiny Grace constantly watches her grandfather’s documentaries and specials. Through this, Bindi says, Grace has developed a strong bond with “Grandpa Crocodile.”

“We have so many documentaries of Dad, and we’re always playing them for Grace. It’s so fun to watch her study them,” she explained. “I didn’t realize how much Dad’s passion for life and his animated facial expressions — I mean, they captivate her.”