A wet blanket and a broom — and some steely nerve and patience — are all it took for a Florida man to free a distressed alligator from a plastic ring.

Michael Stauffer, from Bokeelia in Lee County, saw the unfortunate but still toothsome gator in his backyard on Thanksgiving. The ring was “cutting him up all over his body,” he said.

With the help of a friend, Stauffer used the wet blanket to cover the animal and a broom to stop it from getting away. Took him about five or so minutes. The gator opened its mouth wide at one point as if to say, “Back off!”

Eventually, Stauffer taped the gator’s mouth shut and removed the offending plastic.

Stauffer notified the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and an officer picked up the alligator.