While Mr Holston’s videos have been viewed – and liked – by masses of people online, there has also been growing condemnation of his actions.

Crocodile experts have expressed concern about the saltwater crocodile pictured in particular, saying it is unusual that it wasn’t thrashing about, trying to escape.

The father of the late Australian naturalist Steve Irwin has also weighed in, suggesting people like Mr Holston should be “booted out the door” if they don’t respect Australia’s wildlife.

Mr Irwin stressed the behaviour was far removed from the activities of his own son – who died in 2006 – aged 44.

“This isn’t a Steve Irwin issue. This is about an individual illegally interfering with protected fauna,” Mr Irwin said in a statement.

“Anyone who actually knows how to handle crocodiles knows they don’t respond well to capture. It’s a specialised skill to do it without causing dangerous stress and lactic acid build-up – and this bloke clearly had no clue.”

He said social media is playing a huge role in “glorifying” harmful wildlife interactions, and called for greater penalties for such behaviour – adding the current ones are “laughable” compared to the money that can be made off it online.

“These posts can have disastrous consequences for both people and wildlife.”

Mr Holston, though, has defended his actions. In a comment on the video of him handling the saltwater crocodile, he said the animal had been released “after a few up-close looks and photos”.

He said he did not “encourage anyone to try to recreate” the videos.

The outrage over Mr Holston’s videos comes just a few months after another US influencer was widely condemned for posting a video of her taking a baby wombat from the side of a road. She appeared to be laughing and running away from the distraught mother wombat.

Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese waded into the discussion back in March, suggesting the woman, Sam Jones, do the same with animals that “can actually fight back”.

“Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there,” he said to her.

She left the country soon after anger erupted.