Seprona officers have been searching areas of the Majada Vieja area of Mijas since February following the reported sighting of a crocodile or alligator in one of the ponds. Now, tracks have been found suggesting the presence of an alligator of 1.8 to 2.00 metres in length and weighing about 70 kilos.
Experts are almost certain that the tracks belong to a 12 to 18 year old alligator, as a crocodile or caiman is unlikely to survive the cold of winter and have made one unsuccessful attempt to catch the beast. Hoping it might leave the water for a couple of hours to catch a few rays and warm up, they waited. And waited. But no luck.
At this time of year, the cold weather means that the alligator does not feed, therefore posing little danger to humans. However, from May onwards, when it gets warmer, the alligator will want to feed and will present a danger. If it has not been caught by then, bathing and even getting too close to the pond may have to be banned.
The experts believe that the summer will be the best time to catch the creature, using rotting flesh as bait to lure it out of the water.
The most likely reason the alligator is in the area is that someone has deliberately released him, perhaps a pet that grew too large to handle. Checks on people in the area known to keep exotic animals and pets have, however, failed to find those responsible for the situation.