PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The rogue caiman captured in FDR Park in early March had to be put down, the Philadelphia Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced in a statement.
They tried to rehome the animal — who was believed to be an abandoned exotic pet — but they were not able to and had to euthanize it.
"I can confirm that the Caiman in question was euthanized," Mark Parker, Communications director of PFBC said.
"As previously reported ... the Pennsylvania Game Commission received the animal from the ACCT organization on behalf of the PFBC, which did not have an officer available at the time. Efforts to re-home the Caiman were unsuccessful and the animal was later euthanized."
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Caimans are a cousin of the alligator, and native to regions like South America and Mexico. They’ve also become known as an invasive species in places like Florida.
ACCT Philly spokesperson Sarah Barnett noted when the caiman was first discovered that having non-native animals in the region can be life-threatening.
“They can’t survive the weather out here,” she said. “They need their water to be 70 degrees just to be in it and then 85 to eat.”
The original plan was to take the animal, which was nicknamed Cay Man, to a wildlife sanctuary to get proper rehabilitation and care.
In a statement, Barnett said that she would not have given up custody of the caiman if she knew that euthanization was on the table, and would likely not work with the PFBC again in the future.
“It’s extremely sad to hear that Cay Man was euthanized after we had been told he would go to a rehab facility,” she said. “We would have found alternative placement had we known euthanasia was being considered. Sadly, the harder an animal is to place and the less furry and fuzzy they are, the more likely they are to be failed by people, and Cay Man was failed multiple times along the way. They are difficult animals to care for, and ideally would never be pets, but for those who have not been born in the wild and need homes, there are organizations who can provide that care and we hope anyone considering a pet like this will choose to foster for a reptile rescue instead. We ask that any organization that was in a position to take him reach out to us to become a rescue partner so that the next Cay Man we take in will find placement where they will truly get the care they need to live long healthy lives.”