DAILY MAIL (London, UK) 26 September 13 Snapping at the snapper: Photographer narrowly escapes caiman’s jaws as it is being rescued tail-first from swimming pool (Sara Malm)
[COLOR="#006400"]Photos @ URL: Too close for comfort: Paul Goldstein is nearly bitten by the caiman as it bares its teeth after being pulled out of the pool at Pousada Araras Lodge in Pantanal, Brazil
A photographer got a little too close to the action when he nearly got bitten by a caiman during a rescue mission.
The reptile had got stuck in a swimming pool at a lodge in Pantanal, Brazil, and staff attempted to save it by pulling it out of the water by the tail.
Wildlife guide and photographer Paul Goldstein rushed to assist, but escaped with barely an inch to spare when the animal launched itself teeth first towards his legs.
The 10ft reptile had gotten stuck in the pool at Pousada Araras Lodge in Pantanal, where Mr Goldstein, from Wimbledon, was staying with a group he was guiding.
Wimbledon-based Paul explains: ‘I was alerted by one of my tour clients after breakfast that an adult caiman was at the bottom of the pool.
‘The creature had got himself stuck and local guide Juan and Ingrid Girahn from the lodge did their best to help free it from its chlorine-based incarceration.
‘It proved very hard and also dangerous as a bite from this ten foot close relative of the crocodile would be more than a little graze.'
‘This is a heavy animal so once I realised it was a struggle I got involved but it twisted out of our grasp.
‘It was not until I saw the photos that I realised it was that close to biting me.
‘Eventually it was freed and skulked down to a nearby shrunken pool to go fishing, it seemed the caiman was unimpressed by the whole ordeal.’
Caimans hail from the alligator family and closely resembles its cousins in appearance.
The caimans, native to Central and South America, are generally smaller than alligators, and normally grow to be between four and six feet.
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