THE EXAMINER (Independence, Missouri) 19 July 03 Caimen went - Reptile startles fishermen, is destroyed (David Tanner)
Two fishermen will have a tale to tell after Friday's trip to LaBenite Park in Sugar Creek.
Standing on the bank of the Missouri River that morning, angling for catfish, the fishermen an uninvited guest unexpectedly arrived, wearing a toothy grin.
A crocodile had crawled ashore beside them.
Nick Laposha, district supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said the animal was not an alligator, but a caiman crocodile, a smaller South American relative in the crocodilia order.
Laposha responded to the call at 11:30 a.m.
"I really went to assist the Sugar Creek P.D.," Laposha said. "If it's an alligator, then it's in our jurisdiction, but it's a caiman. It's not a native species. Alligators are federally protected."
After four hours of trying to snare the caiman, Sugar Creek police officers killed the animal because of a potential threat to people and animals.
The animal was four to five feet long, Laposha said, and probably a dwarf caiman. He thought it was most likely a discarded pet.
"They're common in the pet trade," he said. "Somebody had it and turned it loose. They couldn't feed it anymore or it got too big."
Laposha has fielded three or four calls in the last couple of years to investigate caimans or alligators in area waters.
"It's not totally uncommon," Laposha said.
Sugar Creek police said the incident was a first for their department.
Police said people should not turn such animals loose into rivers or lakes, as a caiman can pose a threat to people and animals near the water's edge.
Laposha said the Conservation Department does not have the authority to stop police from disposing of an animal that poses a hazard to the public.
If left alone, the animal probably wouldn't have survived a Missouri winter, he said.
Reptile startles fishermen, is destroyed