DAILY BREEZE (Los Angeles, California) 17 August 05 Gator wranglers fail to nab reptile in the 1st round - Jay Young vows to catch the beast in two days or do the job for free thereafter. But the elusive reptile gives him the slip at Harbor Regional Park. (Donna Littlejohn)

Two barefoot, made-for-television alligator wranglers stepped up the hunt Tuesday for Machado Lake's elusive alligator-like reptile, but remained empty-handed as the night wore on.

Wearing a leather safari-style hat adorned with alligator teeth, Jay Young, owner/manager of the Colorado Gator Farm and Reptile Park in Mosca, Colo., arrived at Harbor Regional Park early Tuesday with his assistant, Paul Wertz, to take charge in the city's fifth day of pursuing the reptile.

Using a 500-foot fishing net, the colorful pair cordoned off a section of Machado Lake by midday and spent the night patrolling the lake aboard a boat with a spotlight.

But as of 10 p.m., the aggressive pursuit failed to nab the reptile.

Earlier, Young, 31, was confident the animal would be captured by the end of the day, but acknowledged it was an unpredictable job.

"Hopefully, we'll get this over with as soon as possible," he said. "This task is not an easy one. This lake is a large body of water and there is a lot of primrose he can hide under. It's like chasing a needle in a haystack, but every time you get close to the needle it leaves at 30 mph."

Young said the animal is an alligator, about 6 to 7 feet long and weighing between 100 and 120 pounds. Some experts still think the reptile is a caiman, however.

Once the animal is ensnared by the net, the alligator wranglers said they will physically wrestle the beast to shore, where he will be put into a 10-foot-long transport box and taken to the Los Angeles Zoo. The animal, thought to be under 10 years old, will be kept in quarantine for 90 days, after which a permanent home will be found.

Young and Wertz, assisted by members of the Southwestern Herpetologists Society and city park rangers, planned to work through the night Tuesday. The search will resume today if the animal is not caught overnight.

The city is paying the wrangler company $800 a day, but with expenses including airfare and hotel, it could wind up costing the city about $3,000. Young has told city officials they will catch the animal in two days or work for free after that.

After being picked up at Los Angeles International Airport, the wranglers arrived at the park early Tuesday morning, wading neck deep into the swampy shoreline and through the tall reeds on the south side of the 53-acre lake in search of the creature. It was, Young joked later, like wading through the "Blog of Eternal Stench."

"We were checking out some tracks in the reeds and I got within 5 or 10 feet of him, but he went under," Young said. "He saw us coming. He doesn't want to get caught, so we decided just to back off for now."

It was the fifth day of the search since reports of the animal were confirmed Friday. Crowds continued to gather to watch, lending an almost festive air to the hunt. Curious spectators arrived with lawn chairs, binoculars, cameras and coolers to spend the day as television news crews set up for live shots. Adults and children lined the yellow tape barrier around the shoreline, trying to catch a glimpse of the alligator.

"What is that?" a young boy asked excitedly, pointing to a ripple in a far corner of the lake. "That black thing. Right behind the duck."

The alligator made only a few brief appearances in the distance on Tuesday, according to onlookers.

Nearby, an ice cream vendor was surrounded by afternoon crowds seeking refreshment.

Others came after work, with flashlights and children. Late in the day, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn held a news conference to give an update on the search.

"I've dealt with a lot of issues -- potholes, sidewalks, streets, trees -- but not in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be dealing with an alligator," Hahn said.

Young, wearing a necklace decorated with alligator teeth, was peppered with questions from the crowd, including why he didn't wear any shoes.

"They only slow you down," he said.

Young has appeared on the Animal Planet channel and elsewhere on television and said he wrestles about 300 alligators a year, with scars on his forearms to show for it.

Enrique Abbo of the Southwestern Herpetologists Society said the animal was probably spooked by the heavy activity on the lake Tuesday.

"He's extremely scared right now," he said. "Our main concern is that he comes out alive."
Gator wranglers fail to nab reptile in the 1st round

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