Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe PUMPHREY, Md., Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A Maryland teenager who reported spotting an alligator in a state park said he used chicken bones to capture the reptile, which was identified as a caiman. Eric Hammack Jr., 16, of Pumphrey, who first reported spotting the 2-to-3-foot reptile Sunday in Patapsco Valley State Park, said he returned to the scene Tuesday after state wildlife authorities were unable to locate the animal, The Baltimore Sun reported Wednesday. Advertisement Hammack said he fastened a string and fishing hook to some chicken bones, tying the other end of the string to a tree, and returned later in the day to find the caiman, a close cousin of the alligator, stuck under a fallen tree with the hook in its mouth. The teenager called Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police and animal control officers. He said authorities arrived about 45 minutes later and took the caiman into custody. Authorities said the animal was likely a pet set free when it became too large to care for. It is illegal to keep caimans in Maryland without permits, they said. Officials said they are seeking a new home for the caiman, possibly a zoo or licensed keeper. Advertisement
