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'This is somebody's pet': 3-foot caiman found in Philly park lake likely dumped by owner

Caimans, which are related to alligators, are most commonly found in areas of Central and South America and Mexico

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA: A pet caiman that is not native to North America was found in a Philadelphia park lake on Sunday, March 5. Caimans, which are related to alligators, are most commonly found in areas of Central and South America and Mexico. Police responded to a 911 call around 10 am after the creature was spotted in the park.

Ike Peyton from Delaware County was fishing in the park when he unexpectedly caught an animal looking like an alligator relaxing on the rocky shores and later informed the officials about it, claims Daily Mail. Officials handled the animal, which was about three feet long, until the Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Team showed up and discovered the creature was actually a caiman. 

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How are caimans different from alligators?

Caimans usually have rougher scales on their belly and back. A caiman's head also has more scales. Alligators are larger and have rounder teeth than caimans. Most caimans are only four to five feet long, per WLTX.

How did ACCT Philly confirm it was a caiman?

The small "alligatorid" sparked a discussion online, with many people speculating that it is a caiman, a South American species.  Speaking to Daily Mail, Sarah Barnett, director of ACCT Philly said, "A lot of people frequent FDR park, especially on weekends." She described how the animal, now affectionately referred to as Cay Man, was taken back to the shelter but had to be housed in her office to save it from preying on other animals in its care. "The room in which we usually keep non-cats and dogs had turtles and bunnies and guinea pigs. Things that they eat," she stated.

"We're not experts in the alligator-caiman debate, which seems to be a very heated one." She did, however, consult a friend who is a zookeeper, and he assured her that he was positive it was a caiman. The creature was initially cold, according to Barnett, but after they bought it and installed a specialized heater that day, it began to come to life. "He just needed to warm up, once the water warmed up he was more active, he was bright and alert but wasn't running around," she stated.

How was the caiman captured?

Although it's unclear precisely how the creature was caught, one user on social media claimed that Peyton caught it with just his bare hands. "He came across it sunning itself on the bank while he was fishing, he didn’t catch it on his rod or reel it in. He alerted a nearby cop about it, then went back down and picked it up before it could dart into water," stated Megan Fitzsimmons.

What did ACCT say?

The ACCT issued a tweet about the discovery, cautioning people against purchasing and releasing illegal animals. "Having buyers remorse about purchasing an animal who will grow to be 5 ft, live to be 40, and requires a studio apt with half being temp. controlled water? DON’T RELEASE IT. Contact us, we won’t tell your mom she was right. Promise," the tweet says. Barnett spoke to ABC affiliate WPVI and said, "It’s unfortunate because people have no idea how much space they need." She assumed the animal was an abandoned pet because the species is not found in any part of the country. "This is somebody's pet," Barnett claimed. "Somebody ordered this maybe online, it grew to be a lot bigger than they thought it would be, or there are a lot of myths out there, which are if you feed them less they will stay small, which is literally starving an animal."

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