Water Romper
08-16-2005, 08:40 AM
Gator-Like Reptile Continues To Elude Authorities :eek:
KNBC-TV
LOS ANGELES - The hunt continues for a large gator-like animal in Machado Lake near Wilmington.
NBC4 got a look at the reptile, believed to be a caiman, as it poked up its head to see what all of the commotion was about at Harbor Regional Park.
One of the experts on the scene, who has caught and rescued dozens of reptiles, said the easiest way to catch a caiman is with a net consisting of a long tube baited with a chicken at the end of it.
"Basically, it is a long tube with a chicken at the end of it," said Jerron Lucas of the Southwest Herpetology Society. "One end of the chicken is tied to a rope, the other end is tied to the opening. When he grabs hold of the chicken and starts to retreat out of the trap, it will close the other end."
Reptile wranglers failed to capture the roughly 5-foot alligator- like reptile over the weekend. On Sunday, the creature ignored lures of raw chicken and eluded capture.
The caiman, native to Central and South America, was probably kept as a pet, then released in the park when it became too big to manage, official said.
Once captured, the animal will be transferred to the Los Angeles City Zoo until the zoo can figure out what to do with it. The creature is likely very far from home. They are usually found in South America.
"Today I saw the sign that said something about some kind of an alligator around here and I just couldn't believe it," said Kiyomi Miyazaki. "This is Southern California, excuse me."
Caimans can be dangerous, and authorities warned people to stay out of the area. Experts expect the 5- to 8-foot-long reptile to be in the lake for about a week before they catch it.
KNBC-TV
LOS ANGELES - The hunt continues for a large gator-like animal in Machado Lake near Wilmington.
NBC4 got a look at the reptile, believed to be a caiman, as it poked up its head to see what all of the commotion was about at Harbor Regional Park.
One of the experts on the scene, who has caught and rescued dozens of reptiles, said the easiest way to catch a caiman is with a net consisting of a long tube baited with a chicken at the end of it.
"Basically, it is a long tube with a chicken at the end of it," said Jerron Lucas of the Southwest Herpetology Society. "One end of the chicken is tied to a rope, the other end is tied to the opening. When he grabs hold of the chicken and starts to retreat out of the trap, it will close the other end."
Reptile wranglers failed to capture the roughly 5-foot alligator- like reptile over the weekend. On Sunday, the creature ignored lures of raw chicken and eluded capture.
The caiman, native to Central and South America, was probably kept as a pet, then released in the park when it became too big to manage, official said.
Once captured, the animal will be transferred to the Los Angeles City Zoo until the zoo can figure out what to do with it. The creature is likely very far from home. They are usually found in South America.
"Today I saw the sign that said something about some kind of an alligator around here and I just couldn't believe it," said Kiyomi Miyazaki. "This is Southern California, excuse me."
Caimans can be dangerous, and authorities warned people to stay out of the area. Experts expect the 5- to 8-foot-long reptile to be in the lake for about a week before they catch it.