Natural Resources and Baltimore County Police
Catch Caiman in Baltimore County
BOWLEYS QUARTERS -Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) and Baltimore County Police have caught the caiman that had been seen in Seneca Creek earlier this week.
Using a spotlight and a large dip net, several NRP Officers and a Baltimore County officer caught the 27.5-inch reptile late Friday night. The officers had been attempting to catch the caiman for more than an hour with no success. The caiman eventually surfaced near a bulkhead and the officers were able to approach the animal from the shore and catch it in the net. Natural Resources Police are retaining the live reptile; it is unknown at this time what will be done with the animal, but NRP do not plan to euthanize it. It is hopeful it can go to an organization where it will be used for education purposes.
Prior to attempting to capture the caiman, NRP officers contacted officers in the Division of Law Enforcement of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to ascertain the best way to capture the animal. Had the officers not been able to catch the animal, arrangements had been made for a professional trapper to attempt to catch the animal over the weekend.
Native to South America, caiman is a Spanish term for any alligator or crocodile. The NRP believes that the animal is a caiman crocodilus or spectacled caiman. According to University of Florida research, spectacled" refers to the intra-orbital (between the eyes) bridge of bone that lends a bespectacled appearance. Florida has had a caiman population established for approximately 30 years.
Caiman are legal to possess in Maryland; however releasing them into the wild is both detrimental to the native wildlife and to the caiman. Releasing a non-native species into our ecosystem can disrupt the balance of nature and adversely affect our native populations. Furthermore, had the animal remained in the wild, it most likely would have died over the winter. Caimans cannot live in cold climates, and thus could not have established a population.
This caiman was likely a pet, and it is unknown whether or not it was intentionally released or it had escaped from captivity. Natural Resources Police reminded the public today to not release pets that are not native to Maryland. Many examples exist to date where well-intentioned pet owners were unsure what to do with a pet, and significant detrimental effects to the ecosystem have ensued.
Posted July 6, 2004