Monday, August 15, 2005
Yahoo!News/AP: Giant Caiman in L.A. lake
"Los Angeles-Park visitors have gone from feeding ducks and fish to nourishing a scaly green creature more likely found in Amazonian swamps than in a Los Angeles lake-a giant crocodile-like caiman.
Since a gardener spotted it last Friday, people have tried to glimpse the 200 pound reptile wading and sunbathing at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park.
Like many Angelenos, the animal is an immigrant who is quickly adopting (sic) to its new home. It has already acquired, for example, a nickname matching its Latin American roots and its penchant for tortillas tossed by visitors: Carlito.
'They'll swallow anything, and if they can't swallow it, they'll tear pieces until they can eat it,' said Jarron Lucas of the Southwestern Herpetologist Society.
Lucas' group, at the request of park rangers, is attempting to capture the animal with nets and a raw chicken, then give it a home at the Los Angeles Zoo. That could take a month, officials say.
Cousins to the crocodile, caimans are mostly found in Central and South America. Experts believe this one, estimated to be as long as 8 feet, was released by its owner.
'They pick up this little reptile that looks really cute when its little. But when it gets big and starts looking and acting scary, they don't want it any more,' Lucas said"
Since a gardener spotted it last Friday, people have tried to glimpse the 200 pound reptile wading and sunbathing at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park.
Like many Angelenos, the animal is an immigrant who is quickly adopting (sic) to its new home. It has already acquired, for example, a nickname matching its Latin American roots and its penchant for tortillas tossed by visitors: Carlito.
'They'll swallow anything, and if they can't swallow it, they'll tear pieces until they can eat it,' said Jarron Lucas of the Southwestern Herpetologist Society.
Lucas' group, at the request of park rangers, is attempting to capture the animal with nets and a raw chicken, then give it a home at the Los Angeles Zoo. That could take a month, officials say.
Cousins to the crocodile, caimans are mostly found in Central and South America. Experts believe this one, estimated to be as long as 8 feet, was released by its owner.
'They pick up this little reptile that looks really cute when its little. But when it gets big and starts looking and acting scary, they don't want it any more,' Lucas said"
