![\"Download](\"https:\/\/7news.com.au\/static\/media\/right-red-arrow.92bca5db.svg\"){kind=icon}
<\/a><\/p>\nThe American former NFL player sparked fury among internet users.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is horrible. That crocodile is so stressed. The behaviour is illegal, and the crocodiles are a protected species,\u201d one person wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t they die from stress? This feels like cruelty. You could have just zoomed in and explained the same thing,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe croc got scared, he swam away, I would never play with wild animals,\u201d another wrote.<\/p>\n
The influencer is now at the centre of an investigation into his behaviour from Queensland\u2019s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation \u2014 which is looking into the crocodile footage as well as another video filmed in the state.<\/p>\n
![\"Influencer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/9ef200b2d04b0360552b50cd6055fe3f5fb44fda.jpg\")
Influencer Mike Holston came under fire for grabbing a freshwater crocodile out of a Queensland river. Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n
The second clip shows the influencer catching a juvenile saltwater crocodile.<\/p>\n
\u201cBig croc \u2013 well, technically it\u2019s small, they get much bigger than this … this is a juvenile,\u201d Holston said in the clip.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis thing is sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
The influencer held the reptile as he filmed, only to release him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to let this guy go … there\u2019s bigger crocs in here so we\u2019ve got to get out of here fast because it can get pretty ugly pretty quick, for both of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Queensland\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/3a2d7665b654a8e9364f9ef51f3b62e752da34f0.jpg\")
Queensland\u2019s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation has launched an investigation into the video, and another filmed in the state. Credit: Instagram<\/p>\n
Queensland has updated penalties for this kind of behaviour, with on-the-spot fines of $2670 for deliberately disturbing an animal.<\/p>\n
Penalties for disturbing a crocodile can exceed $27,000.<\/p>\n
Even being close to a crocodile basking in the sun without a reasonable excuse can see fines issued for $16,690.<\/p>\n
Animal rights group, PETA Australia, also slammed the former athlete.<\/p>\n
\u201cAside from it being illegal and unfathomably stupid to interfere with a crocodile in Queensland, it\u2019s also incredibly cruel,\u201d the organisation said.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like wombats, koalas and other native Australian wildlife, crocodiles are sensitive individuals who experience pain and stress, and who deserve to live in peace without fear that visiting influencers will tackle and roughly handle them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holston is a brand ambassador for US department store Nordstrom.<\/p>\n
He regularly posts clips with dangerous wildlife, including king cobras and king brown snakes.<\/p>\n