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."
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.
