TRENTON — Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water … you were probably right.
State and local animal officers yesterday hunted what they believed to be a caiman, an out-of-place predator for Trenton’s waters to be sure, but the “maneater” turned out to be, at best, an ankle biter.
The call came about 2:30 p.m. from a pair of fisherman at the pond in the Island neighborhood’s Stacy Park.
A local said one of the fishermen was a friend of his and that the creature was mistaken for a turtle. But when a fishing line was cast in the animal’s direction, its serpentine escape path through the water and flash of alternating light and dark stripes ruled out any of the hard-backed sliders or even snappers in the pond.
They called it in — Alligator! — and they were possibly right, or at least close.
State Fish and Wildlife experts said that from its markings it appeared to be a small caiman, a reptile similar to other crocodile and alligator species. Caimans are frequently sold as a questionable pet choice as small juveniles, and they are often discarded by their owners as they grow in size and become difficult to care for.
Caimans can grow up to about 8 feet in the wild, while some dwarf species sold as pets will only grow to 5 feet.
Upon the initial call, a Trenton police officer and city animal-control officers attempted to capture the beast using a row boat. From that first encounter, and subsequent sightings, the reptile was thought to be about 3 feet long.
The creature went under and avoided the first early attempt, but word of the pond’s strange visitor drew a crowd.
“It’s kind of like our own Loch Ness Monster,” joked one onlooker. “This is kind of cool.”
People lined the banks with cameras and binoculars trying to catch a glimpse of the creature from the deep. From the shore, it did not impress.
Spending much of its time near the surface in the center of the pond, the reptile was difficult to spot and could have passed for a clump of yellowish leaves. Through binoculars, its bony head and eye ridges could be picked out, along with its striped back any time it propelled itself through the murky pond water.
The state animal folks decided to give capturing the beast one more shot, and officers Linda DiPiano and Kim Tinnes boarded a tiny rowboat armed with a large fishing net and a catch pole with a loop on the end more typically used to bring in errant pit bulls.
The reptile was submerged when the women launched the craft, but after a few moments it reappeared off their bow.
As they rowed in its direction, the creature, perhaps startled by the boat, slipped beneath the water.
After 15 or so minutes, the women gave up, and the animal didn’t surface again.
Officials discussed setting traps, which would be floating bottles attached to lines tied to fish hooks.
The hooks would be baited with chicken, in the hope that the little toothy guy would swim in for a snack and come away attached to a float. The officers told neighborhood residents that if they see one of the floats being moved about, then it’s likely that the trap caught something, and they should call animal control.
“We’ll get him,” said Trenton Animal Control Officer Joe Antonello. “We’ll see that he’s caught and taken somewhere to be cared for.”
Officers told residents that the reptile likely wouldn’t leave the comfort of the pond, and that it should pose no threat to anyone.
