Dustin “dusty” crumboften referred to as “The Wildman”, is an American reality television star and renowned snake hunter, best known for appearing on the reality series “Swamp People” and “Guardian of the Glades”.
Dusty made his television debut in 2018, appearing in “Swamp Mysteries With Troy Landry”, and from there gained the interest of the producers behind a number of reality shows, and as he continued to appear in popular series, Dusty eventually became a fan-favourite, a beloved function of viewers in the shows.
Although Dusty has only recently embarked on a career in reality television, with years of experience and specialization in his favorite field of hunting, catching and tanning snakes, Crum has already earned a popular reception among viewers, earning him widespread fame.
Viewers and fans of “Swamp People” would be especially familiar with Dusty, as well as his superstitious approach to snake hunting preparation, and his keen familiarity with the Florida Everglades.
While not exactly known for his mischief or outrageous behavior, Dusty recently made headlines in the tabloid media, leaving fans and followers alike in shock and fearing the worst for his future. While Dusty may not have been guilty of his recent tabloid appearance, the unfortunate accident he experienced shocked many of his loyal supporters.
As such, many may wonder how he is doing and if he will still be featured in some of the popular reality shows.
Who is Dusty Crum?
Born May 31, 1980 in Sarasota County, Florida, Dusty spent much of his childhood pursuing the one thing he is good at, which is catching snakes.
While attending Sarasota High School in his hometown, Dusty spent his free time exploring the Everglades, often catching snakes, including pythons, a passion that would lead him to later turn it into a professional career. to make.
Initially, catching snakes was not very profitable, which led Dusty to look for work in many other fields. Dusty’s most prominent position as a young, hard-working man was that of a construction worker. Unfortunately, as a general laborer, Dusty’s duties consisted only of mixing cement and most of the heavy lifting. As a result, the everyday life and work schedule of construction work eventually became far too boring and he started looking for a more adventurous lifestyle.
Snake train rolls to ft myers.. see you tomorrow! Woooooooo!
Posted by Wild man on Friday, November 4, 2022
Thus began Crum’s life as “The Wildman,” and he soon became a noted python catcher and conservationist in the Everglades. In addition to capturing and often moving the snakes, Dusty also developed his skills as a craftsman and sold numerous products made from the materials harvested from the pythons, which would be unlucky enough not to be moved.
While some may think that snake hunting is a cruel profession, the efforts of Dusty and many other snake hunters technically have a positive impact on the Everglades ecosystem, as it maintains populations of native creatures and wildlife.
Often the prey of Dusty and the other snake hunters, the famous Burmese Python is an invasive species brought to Florida by owners and breeders of exotic pet animals. The species’ first appearance dates back to the 1970s, and as a direct result of 1992’s Category Five hurricane, Hurricane Andrew, which devastated Florida on Aug. 23, many of the pet pythons were released or escaped into the wild.
This caused a major spike in the python population in the Everglades, which, while sounding harmless, had a negative effect on the local ecosystem. When mature, Burmese pythons can consume native species such as deer, small mammals, and other rodents, and while they are still growing, these pythons tend to prey on local bird populations.
As a result of this natural disaster, the local area became in need of snake hunters to remove Burmese pythons through hunting or relocation. Usually these pythons are hunted and their products are used for a variety of leather products.
Dusty embarked on an adventurous and undoubtedly dangerous life, then quit his job and began pursuing the life of a snake hunter, focusing mainly on the Everglades. Over the course of his career, Crum eventually became a conservationist, trying to save the endangered ecosystem of the Everglades.
By doing so, Dusty continually raises awareness of the ongoing struggle to recapture natural balance in the Everglades, and apart from actively hunting pythons, he gains public support through the sale of natural products.
Then in 2018 came the nature documentary “Swamp Mysteries with Troy Landry”, a series that often explores remote swamps, clearings and a host of other habitats across the US in search of mysterious and dangerous creatures, called for Dusty to appear as one of the show’s resident experts.
Of course, with many years of experience as a snake hunter and catcher, Dusty left a lasting impression on the production company “Truly Original”, also responsible for creating “Swamp People”.
Although Dusty only appeared in two episodes of “Swamp Mysteries With Troy Landry”, he nevertheless embarked on a career in reality television, as the following year Dusty earned a place in the cast of “Swamp People”, appeared for the first time in the ninth episode. season, and later that same year 2019, Dusty made his debut in the “Guardian of the Glades” ongoing series, which premiered on May 28 of that year.
The series focuses specifically on Dusty, and the calling he took on to try and save the Everglades, documenting his journey as he struggles with the invasive Burmese Pythons.
In addition to his usual appearances in “Swamp People” and his dedicated series, Dusty was also featured in the spin-off series “Swamp People: Serpent Invasion” which is currently airing its third season.
In addition, Dusty also made the cast of the 2020 special “Python scale”, which became an active method of involving the public in Dusty’s efforts to save the Everglades. The special followed 750 contestants as they competed to catch the biggest, heaviest and most pythons.
Throughout his career as a snake catcher and hunter, Dusty worked closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, with whom Crum specifically works to rid the Everglades of the invasive pythons.
He also works for the South Florida Water Management District as a bounty hunter, continuously hunting snakes in the local water resources, and is paid based on the weight and size of each catch.
Over the weekend, Dusty Crum caught the largest python in the program to date at 16 feet, 10 inches. It carried 73 eggs. #SFWMDmtg pic.twitter.com/tmk3zJJF8V
– South Florida Water Management District (@SFWMD) May 11, 2017
Dusty’s unfortunate accident
On November 4, 2021, Dusty was involved in a serious car accident that almost left the reality star and snake hunter without one of his legs. The accident happened as Dusty was driving home as a passenger in a car on Florida’s I-77 freeway.
Dusty and the driver, a close friend of his, were hauling goods from one workshop to another when one of the truck’s tires exploded, initially causing the truck and its trailer to form a fish tail before flipping over and causing three rolled over before coming to a stop. .
During the accident, Dusty’s passenger side window broke, and as he rolled Crum’s leg somehow flew out the window, though he managed to get it back into the cab before the truck finally came to a stop.
As a result of the crash, Dusty suffered serious injuries to his leg and knee, but remained conscious enough to tie a tourniquet around the injured limb, ultimately saving his own life.
As Dusty would later relate, he believed he might die in the accident, but he and his many loyal followers were indeed thankful that his life was spared during the traumatic event. After the accident, Dusty was airlifted to a hospital in Fort Meyers, where he spent several days in the hospital as doctors and surgeons worked to save his leg.
Dusty underwent five surgeries and then underwent physical therapy rehabilitation to regain use of his injured leg.
Just days after the accident, graphic photos made their way into online gossip publications, and Dusty’s family opened a GoFundMe account to raise money for his treatment and the payment of his hospital bills. In total, Dusty’s expenses totaled $20,000, which the reality star was fortunate to be able to afford.
Dusty survived the accident and his leg was not amputated, and as such he was able to continue doing what he loves most, catching snakes.
After the accident, many feared that Dusty might not make it in “Swamp People” and “Guardian of the Glades”, but to everyone’s delight and surprise, Dusty was soon back to normal and herself. Fans of “The Wildman” can see him in the final seasons of the popular History Channel shows – as usual, the Florida native will be in action, catching snakes barefoot and wearing shorts.
