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LONDON FREE PRESS (Ontario) 14 July 05 No signs of mini-gator - The reptile may actually be a caiman, which is often kept as a pet. (Megan O'Toole)
Exeter : The hunt for a pint-sized alligator -- first reported last week -- turned up no new leads yesterday.
The mini-gator, about half a metre long, was reported last Thursday by anglers at the Morrison Reservoir. Yesterday Scott Gillingwater, a biologist with the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, paddled around the reservoir scanning for signs of the alligator but saw nothing.
He believes the reptile -- reported to be 18 inches long -- is a caiman, a smaller member of the crocodile family often kept as a pet.
"This is a pretty good habitat for them and there's lots of places to hide," he said.
The edges of the reservoir are warm and shallow, layered with thick vegetation that would attract the species, he said.
Gillingwater doesn't believe the reptile poses any threat to humans.
"It's not likely they'd bite humans -- you'd have to grab onto them for that to happen," he said. "They have a lot of fear of humans."
The creature won't survive past the summer because the cold will cause its body to shut down, Gillingwater said.
If it's found, Gillingwater said, the reptile will be adopted out or transferred to a zoological facility.
The hunt was to be renewed after dark, said Kate Monk, stewardship and conservation lands supervisor with the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority.
A man from Reptilia Inc. in Toronto was planning to head to the reservoir with a flashlight to scan for the reptile, she said.
No signs of mini-gator

LONDON FREE PRESS (Ontario) 15 July 05 Tiny gator spotted again (Kelly Pedro)
There's been a second reported sighting of a tiny alligator said to be living in the Morrison Reservoir east of Exeter.
A man approached an expert searching for the half-metre long reptile Wednesday and told him he'd seen it a day earlier, Kate Monk, conservation lands supervisor at the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority, said yesterday,
But there were few details about when or where the man spotted the reptile, she said.
Several curious onlookers were out yesterday, hoping to catch a glimpse of the gator.
"We've posted signs asking them to tell us where they see the reptile and when because we'd still like to capture it and make sure it gets to a suitable home," Monk said.
The mini-gator was first spotted last week.
An expert who searched Wednesday night with a flashlight couldn't find it.
There have been suggestions it could actually be a caiman, a smaller member of the crocodile family sometimes kept as a pet.
Monk said the gator would not be a threat to humans because it wouldn't bite unless it's provoked. It's more apt to be afraid of humans, she said.
Anyone spotting it should call the authority at 235-2610.
Tiny gator spotted again