SOMERSBY, Australia (CNN) -- For most people, a tough day at work doesn't involve the possible loss of fingers, or worse. But for zoo keepers at the Australian Reptile Park, every day is an adventure. Some days are more exciting than others.
Just another day at the office, wrestling alligators. They're not thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies, these zoo keepers have a job to do.
Raid the alligator nests and steal all the eggs in a risky game of reptile roulette the survival of the fittest. Tim Faulkner, operations manager for the Australian Reptile Park says, "There's a couple of reasons that we need to remove the eggs. One of the reasons is alligators are cannibals, if they hatched in here, they would be eaten by all other alligators."
They may have liked the smell of us, but we were not welcome in gator lagoon, and momma was getting cranky. Faulkner says, "The female gators pack a powerful punch because she's defending a nest and that means she's giving it her all."
Daddy lurked nearby, his jaws powerful enough to crush a human skull. Faulkner says, "We're not sure whether he is top dog, or he's trying to become top dog. But he's causing problems in here, for alligators and for us."
Keepers were taking no chances. The pair put up a fight, but finally both were restrained, a clutch of 15 eggs taken away to be incubated in safety.
The hungry alligators forced to snack on something or someone else.