Missing caiman captured in creek area after months of roaming Oklahoma
By Addison Kliewer
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CLEVELAND COUNTY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A caiman that had been missing in Cleveland County for months was captured on Tuesday night.
In August, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office requested the public’s assistance locating a caiman, which is a predatory reptile belonging to the alligator family, that was missing in the area of South Sunnylane Road and E. Indian Hills Road. Officials urged residents to keep an eye on pets in the area.
The reptile was spotted near homes, and the Adam Night Shift with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports and remained actively involved in the search.
The search lasted for months until finally coming to an end this week.
On Tuesday night, the Adam Night Shift crew successfully located and captured the caiman in a creek behind residences, according to the sheriff’s office.
The animal was safely returned to its owner.
What is a caiman? A caiman is a small-to-medium sized predatory reptile that belongs to the alligator family. There are several distinctive species native to Central and South America.
Caimans look very much like alligators and crocodiles, and they mostly live along the edges of rivers and other bodies of water. They are not native to Oklahoma.
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