A Stroll In The Park
This is Barigüi Park in the city of Curitiba, Parnana, which is about three hours from where we live. This public park, whose indigenous name means "river of thorny fruit", located near the center of this ultra-modern metropolis, was established in 1972 to give curitibanos (residents of Curitiba) a place of beauty, nature and wildlife to enjoy. Many families spend afternoons and weekends taking walks, bike riding, picnicking and watching nature. This week the Lopes family saw more than they expected.
On Tuesday of this week, Marcos Lopes (37) and his two young daughters, Gabriela (8) and Amanda (5), were bike riding through the park. A small stray dog began running alongside of them and then ran into the edge of the water. Suddenly a caiman crocodile sprang from the water and grabbed the helpless dog and within moments consumed it.
City officials admit that there are three caiman (called jacaré) living in the waters of the park, although locals claim that there are at least two others, but they admit they know little about them including what sex they are.
Paulinho Dalmaz, superintendent of Works and Services for the Secretary of the Environment of Curtiba (how do you fit that on a business card?), says that there is nothing to worry about as these caiman are harmless. When asked about what they were feeding the reptiles, Dalmaz responded that they were being left to their own devices. He says there are plenty of fish, birds and small animals for them to feed on.
Nothing to worry about? What if a small child strays from its family and moves towards the water. There are no barriers in the park to keep this from happening. What bureaucratic genius thought it would be a good idea to allow live crocodiles in the middle of a public park.
I have come into close contact with caiman and they are not friendly. The above picture is one I took back in August during a visit to the Pantanal. These are amazing animals and should be seen by the public but in zoos or better yet in wildlife habitats.
While caiman are not near as scary as some of the things I have seen come out of Shelby Park, I have a tremendous respect for them. They are fast, huge and fierce hunters. The city officials of Curitiba need to remove them and relocate them to a more suitable environment before there is tragedy.
You can see other wildlife photos I took during my most recent trip to the Pantanal at this link
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