A THREE-MONTH search for a spectacled caiman alligator on the loose in Alicante province has ended in success.
Municipal workers clearing vegetation along the Vinalopo River spotted what appeared to be part of its tail and alerted authorities.
The Sax Policia Local managed to capture it, and the Guardia Civil then transferred it to the Rio Safari Park in Elche.
CAIMAN SAFE AT RIO SAFARI, ELCHE. CREDIT: RIO SAFARI.
The first alert came in mid-July when a person reported seeing what appeared to be an alligator in the Vinalopo riverbed.
The sighting gained widespread attention on social media and generated concern among residents.
Guardia Civil officers from the environmental Seprona unit in Alicante and Monovar carried out several search operations throughout the summer.
That involved the use of night-vision goggles and drone flights.
Eventually the caiman was discovered on October 16 when workers from the Sax Town Hall were clearing vegetation in the riverbed near the bridge.
They noticed what appeared to be a fragment of the animal’s tail and Policia Local then located and captured the caiman.
The officers then handed it over to the Guardia’s Seprona team which took to Rio Safari in Elche where it is being cared for.
It could then potentially be released back into the wild.
The spectacled caiman is a species listed under the CITES Convention but its trade and possession by private individuals is permitted as long as certain requirements are met.
The Guardia Civil pointed out that owning exotic animals requires documentation proving their legal origin and identification.
They also warned that releasing or abandoning such an animal poses a risk to the animal itself, as well as to ecosystems and people.
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