Toronto Animal Services and staff at Reptilia Zoo caught a baby caiman that was on the loose in a pond near High Park for two days.
The reptile, which is a member of the alligator family and native to South America, was spotted Sunday by a resident whose backyard overlooks Catfish Pond in the west-end neighbourhood of Swansea.
Teghan Stadnyk said she and her friend were hanging out in her backyard Sunday afternoon when they noticed what looked to be a “crocodile” in the pond.
She said she grabbed her phone and started to film the animal before putting the video on YouTube.
“It got quite the response,” she told CP24 Monday.
Stadnyk said her brother later contacted Toronto Animal Services to notify them of the sighting.
Fiona Venedam, a supervisor with the City of Toronto’s Animal Services department, said the prohibited exotic animal likely either escaped or was dumped in the pond by its owners.
“We called in the experts. We have called in the police marine unit,” Venedam told CP24 Monday.
“We have the assistance of a variety of vets that we can call in … if it needs medical attention.”
Staff members of Reptilia were in the pond Monday evening with nets and other equipment to assist in capturing the creature.
“They are very fast,” Venedam said.
It is not uncommon, Venedam said, to find exotic animals in homes during Toronto police raids.
“I’ve dealt with a caiman and I’ve dealt with an alligator before, but never in a pond,” she said.
The animal is currently only about 24 to 30 inches long but Venedam said caimans can grow up to a maximum of about six feet.
The reptile could likely have survived in the pond, Venedam said, until the weather turned cold.
