After three months of drones, night-vision equipment and repeated searches along the Vinalopó, the Costa Blanca’s most elusive reptile has finally run out of hiding places.
Police in Sax have captured the spectacled caiman that had been living wild around the Vinalopó river since at least the summer.
The unusual search began after a local resident reported seeing the reptile near the river in July. What followed involved Sax Local Police, Guardia Civil officers, SEPRONA environmental specialists, drones and night-vision equipment.
Despite all that technology, the breakthrough eventually came from something considerably less sophisticated.
Municipal workers clearing vegetation from the river found part of the caiman’s tail near a bridge.
That gave police the clue they needed to locate and capture it.
Three months on the loose
Authorities first received a report about the caiman in July.
Quite how long it had already been living around the Vinalopó remains unknown.
Police and environmental officers began searching the area, with teams from Sax Local Police, the Guardia Civil and SEPRONA units in Alicante and Monóvar taking part.
Officers also used drones and night-vision equipment as they tried to locate an animal particularly well equipped for disappearing beside a river.
The search continued for around three months without a capture.
Then municipal workers found the piece of tail while clearing vegetation from the riverbed.
Local Police subsequently located the caiman and caught it, bringing one of the more unusual wildlife searches in Alicante province to an end.
The caiman has moved to Río Safari Elche
After the capture, SEPRONA officers from Monóvar collected the animal from the Local Police facilities.
They arranged its transfer to Río Safari Elche, where specialists can assess its condition and oversee its recovery.
Authorities will also consider whether they can eventually reintroduce the animal into an appropriate natural environment.
Spectacled caimans come from Central and South America, with a natural range stretching across tropical and subtropical habitats far removed from
What exactly is a spectacled caiman?
The spectacled caiman is a crocodilian, making it a relative of crocodiles and alligators.
Its name comes from the bony ridge between its eyes, which can give the appearance of a pair of spectacles.
Adults can reach a substantial size, although males generally grow considerably larger than females.
They are opportunistic predators and naturally eat fish, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals depending on their size and habitat.
How did it get there?
That remains one of the biggest unanswered questions.
Spectacled caimans fall under the CITES international wildlife trade convention. Private ownership and trade can take place legally under the relevant rules, but owners need documentation proving an animal’s legal origin and identification.
Because the Sax caiman had no identification, officers have reported the case to the relevant CITES scientific and customs authorities.
Investigators will now have to establish where the animal came from and how it ended up in the river.
Authorities have not established whether somebody deliberately released it, whether it escaped or how long it survived in the area before that first sighting.
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- Sax Local Police have captured a spectacled caiman found living around the Vinalopó river.
- A resident first alerted authorities to the animal during the summer.
- The search continued for around three months.
- Local Police, Guardia Civil and SEPRONA officers took part, using equipment including drones and night-vision devices.
- Municipal workers found part of the animal’s tail while clearing vegetation, providing an important clue to its location.
- SEPRONA transferred the caiman to Río Safari Elche for assessment and recovery.
