With all the deadly panthers, pythons and gators roaming the Everglades, most people might not think of making a career out of splashing through the swamp.
Ed Woods is not most people.
Woods and his crew are the stars of a new National Geographic show called "Swamp Men," which premieres on Nat Geo Wild tonight at 10 p.m.
The Swamp Men lead their Billie Swamp Safari tours through Big Cypress Swamp, deep in the Everglades on Seminole Indian tribe ground.
Their mission: "patrol the land, relocate animals from dangerous situations and rescue animals in need." The animals, about 1,600 in all, include wild hogs, raccoons and even ostriches and bison.
Woods, sort of an American version of Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin, plays his part to a tee. Constantly wearing sunglasses, with a Marines-inspired haircut, tan shirt and jean shorts, Woods and the rest of his wranglers show no fear in jumping into the swamp to get down and dirty.
A preview video for the first show of the series shows Woods and the boys wranglin' up an 11-foot alligator with little more than a rope.
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"We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way, it's up to that alligator," says the 41-year-old Woods, who grew up in Green Swamp in central Florida and has the accent to match.
After a lengthy struggle with the gator, which Woods calls "the easy way," Woods offers up some philosophy on fear.
"If anybody that says that they ain't scared, is either an idiot or a liar, one or the other," Woods says after the capture.
With around 2,200 acres filled with wild animals, deadly encounters are commonplace.
"That's just a normal day at the office for these guys," said Cindy Malin, marketing consultant for Billie Swamp Safari. "It's really an educational show, you're seeing all the things the general park visitor won't see."
The park offers a host of activities, including airboat rides and reptile shows, and visitors can stay overnight in thatched roof dwellings called Chickees to see how the Seminoles live.
And Miamians interested in a little adventure don't have to go very far. The park is about and hour and a half away.
