Alligator-like reptile captured in pond in Toronto’s High Park

TORONTO – Wildlife officials have captured an alligator-like reptile that was living in a pond in Toronto’s High Park.

Police, wildlife experts and park staff converged on Catfish Pond on Monday afternoon in the effort to capture the 80-centimetre caiman.

It’s not known when the reptile was released into the wild, and it took about an hour for experts to make the capture.

A video of the caiman — said to have been taken on Sunday — was posted to YouTube on Monday by user Kyle Stadnyk.

A spokeswoman for Toronto’s animal services division says they first heard about sightings of the caiman from the media at about noon on Monday.

City crews sent to investigate found the reptile sunning itself on the shore, but weren’t equipped to capture it.

“They didn’t have special equipment so they waited for the experts,” said Tammy Robbinson of animal services.

“Animal services doesn’t usually deal with alligators.”

Robbinson said the caiman will probably go to a Toronto-area reptile zoo.