The Caiman Catcher Comes to Coronado

{mosimage}A full grown caiman who had taken to exploring away from Tortuga Lake was making residents living around the Coronado Golf Course, nervous. Native to South and Central America, caimans typically stay close to their homes. However, they can become nomadic if living conditions become inadequate. When food supply no longer meets their needs, larger caimans will look for different lagoons, newly formed ponds or flooded areas to begin new colonies. This often happens during the rainy season. Caimans start out eating fish and water creatures. As they grow they switch to birds and small mammals. Last year, there were a number of incidents in Panama, where a caiman attacked a person. Typically Caimans grow to 6 – 7 feet length, and no one wants a 7 foot caiman wandering around Coronado looking for food! So what do you do with a full grown caiman who has outgrown his pond and is looking for bigger prey? You call in the Caiman Catcher to take it to new territory.   

Donned with mask and snorkel, caiman catcher, Santamaria, strolled into golf course ponds and into Tortuga Lake. He could be seen beating the surface of the water at Tortuga Lake, to attract caimans to him. He caught and relocated two local caimans. A  4 footer who was getting large for the golf course ponds was relocated to Tortuga Lake, where it can live for a number of years to come.  The wandering 7 footer was caught and removed from Tortuga Lake and taken to Santamaria's farm where he offers a natural environment for caimans just like this one.