Giant Caiman Makes a Splash at L.A. Lake

AP - Yahoo ^ | August 16, 2005

[EveningStar]

LOS ANGELES - Park visitors have gone from feeding ducks and fish to nourishing a scaly green creature more likely found in Amazonian swamps than a Los Angeles lake — a giant crocodile-like caiman.

Since a gardener spotted it last Friday, people have tried to glimpse the 200-pound reptile wading and sunbathing at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park.

Like many Angelenos, the animal is an immigrant who is quickly adopting to its new home. It has already acquired, for example, a nickname matching its Latin American roots and its penchant for tortillas tossed by visitors: Carlito.

[EveningStar]

Southern California ping

[goldstategop]

Carlito - L.A's newest illegal immigrant - and he isn't even human.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[NautiNurse]

Had close encounters with a zillion caiman during a recent Costa Rica canoe trip.

[EveningStar]

I tried to post this in News as an illegal immigration topic. The mods didn't go for it. :)

[Brad’s Gramma]

LOL!!!!!

[all4one]

"Carlito - L.A's newest illegal immigrant - and he isn't even human"

So would it still be un-Politically correct to call him a "wet back"?

[EveningStar]

I know you love dogs and horses. I'm not sure if your love extends to the herpetological, but here goes. :)

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't particularly go for large reptiles :~D

[janetgreen]

This guy is big news in our area. The local paper even has a daily "gator watch" notice. The weather has been cooler than usual, and these guys like hot weather, so he stays underwater most of the time. That's why they're having trouble capturing him. They've called in some "experts" today.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

200 lbs is medium around here.

[hattend]

Like many Angelenos, the animal is an immigrant who is quickly adopting to its new home.

What a croc

[EveningStar]

Well, you Floridians have bugs that are that big. :)

[EveningStar]

LOL!

[Jeff Chandler]

Caimans are more agreesive (and therfore more dangerous) than alligators, but less than crocodiles.

[DumpsterDiver]

Carlito - L.A's newest illegal immigrant - and he isn't even human.

It's nice that the AP could tie this in with "immigration".

Like many Angelenos, the animal is an immigrant who is quickly adopting to its new home. It has already acquired, for example, a nickname matching its Latin American roots and its penchant for tortillas tossed by visitors: Carlito.

[DumpsterDiver]

"Carlito - L.A's newest illegal immigrant - and he isn't even human"

So would it still be un-Politically correct to call him a "wet back"?

Not in my book. (Carlito is about a mile from mi casa. He is high class compared to my neighbors.)

[SZonian]

I don't know about"...more aggressive and therefore more dangerous..." Growing up in Panama we would go and "hunt" Cayman in the Chagres River at night by spotlighting them. We would row up to them lighting them up occasionally to keep our bearings, check their size and if small enough, grab them behind the head and toss them into the boat. Pretty skittish creature in my opinion as they were a real pain in the a** to catch.

The boat with the most at the end of the night won and all the Cayman were released back into the river. We swam, fished, skurfed, and spearfished in that river, and in all my years there, not one mention of an attack or encounter by Cayman.

Just my nonprofessional, but experienced opinion of this critter.

Cheers!