Clock ticking on the rescue of suspected caiman in pond

Rosa Ramirez, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 16, 2007 at midnight

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An elusive gator-like creature that forced the closure of a Loveland pond last week will need to be rescued before the water gets too chilly, a reptile expert says.

Jayhawker Ponds and the surrounding 30-acre recreation area were shut down last week until the creature, thought to be a caiman, is caught.

Loveland police Sgt. Rae Bontz said the area is fenced to keep people from going in and the creature from leaving.

"As long as people stay away from there, there's no problem," Bontz said Sunday.

Jay Young, with Colorado Gators, said that unlike alligators, a caiman would not survive in cold water.

"It can die in water that's below 60 degrees," he said. "The water is going to get below 60 degrees in late September or late October in Colorado."

Bontz said the police department got a call last week that three boys who were fishing at Jayhawker Ponds "saw an alligator-looking thing."

"We thought it was gonna attack us," 10-year-old John Peck told The Associated Press. "We reeled in our poles and got on our scooters and got out of there as fast as we could."

Animal control officers were dispatched that same day and one got a glimpse of the creature, Bontz said.

Young said it's likely a pet caiman that was dumped because its owner could no longer keep it.

"Caimans don't just walk to lakes in Colorado," Young said. "They are from South America. That's a long way to swim."

He said most people purchase caimans when they're small, thinking they can handle them. But then they find out that the reptile's water needs to be cleaned daily and kept warm.

Not to mention that caimans can grow to be about 60 pounds and 7 feet in length, Young said.

"They're not aggressive," he said. "It would not look at a person, or even a toddler, as food. It would likely survive on fish and small birds."

But it could maim someone trying to grab it, Young added.

"They are very dangerous and run much faster than alligators. We have several 6-foot caimans. We don't mess with them, unless we have to, or you could end up losing several fingers."

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