Big caiman spooks shoppers at Puerto Rico mall

[July 22, 2010]  SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Puerto Ricans at a shopping mall were spooked by an unlikely intruder -- a more than 5-foot-long (1.5-meter) caiman.

Ana Maria Ramos, spokeswoman for Puerto Rico's Department of Natural Resources, said the big reptile was found Wednesday under a shopper's car at an outlet mall in the town of Canovanas. It was captured and taken to a shelter.

No one was injured by the caiman, which is native to Central and South America.

Nonnative creatures have become a problem for Puerto Rico because of the U.S. island's lush tropical climate and lack of predators. Several species of snakes, iguanas and caimans -- imported for sale as pets, then released into the wild -- flourish on the island.

[Associated Press]

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