Oklahoma Deputies Catch Escaped Pet Caiman by Hand

CLEVELAND COUNTY, Okla., Oct 22 — Cleveland County sheriff's deputies caught a pet caiman by hand late Tuesday night in a creek behind a subdivision, ending a search that began when the reptile escaped from its owner's home in August, UPI and FOX23 reported.

If you are wondering what a caiman is, you are not alone. It is a smaller member of the alligator family. It looks a lot like an alligator. It is just compact enough to make people say "that's probably fine" right up until it isn't in its tank anymore.

This one slipped out of its home in August and was reported missing. Deputies spent weeks searching for it, FOX23 reported.

The caiman, it turns out, had not gone far. It was living in a creek behind a subdivision, apparently settling into creek life just fine. FOX23 summed up the stretch as "nearly two months of nightly excursions."

Then came Tuesday night. The caiman was spotted in the creek, and the sheriff's office's Adam Night Shift crew responded.

There was no net, no trap, no elaborate plan worth mentioning. Body camera footage released by the sheriff's office shows the moment deputies caught the reptile by hand, according to UPI.

The caiman was returned to its owner, both outlets reported.

For anyone already shopping for a pocket-sized alligator, Oklahoma has rules. Alligators are banned as pets in the state, but caimans can be kept with the proper state-issued permits, UPI reported. So the caiman was not an outlaw. It was just a pet on an unusually long walk.

The story does raise some questions the reports do not answer, like what a caiman eats for two months in a suburban creek, and how many neighbors walked past that creek without knowing what was in it. Those details remain, mercifully, unknown.

What we do know is that the night shift had a very specific kind of night. Most patrols involve traffic stops and noise complaints. This one involved a reptile with a lot of teeth and a creek full of hiding spots, and it ended with a deputy holding the whole problem in their hands.

The caiman is back home. The creek is back to being just a creek. And somewhere in Cleveland County, a sheriff's office has a body cam clip that will be shown at every office party for years.

> What We Know
> - What: An escaped pet caiman, a smaller relative of the alligator
> - Where: A creek behind a subdivision in Cleveland County, Oklahoma
> - Missing since: August
> - Caught: Late Tuesday, Oct. 20, by hand, on body camera
> - By: The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office Adam Night Shift crew
> - Outcome: Returned to its owner
> - Legal? Caimans are allowed as pets in Oklahoma with state permits; alligators are not

Reported by UPI, FOX23

Clown verdict: Two months on the run, undone by one pair of hands.

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