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What A Croc! Zoo To House Abandoned Reptiles
UPDATED: 9:25 AM MDT October 26, 2004
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Abandoned crocodiles that were found last week in Sandoval County have a new place to call home.
The Albuquerque Zoo is where they will live temporarily.
"These were abandoned by drug dealers who never should have had them in the first place," said Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez. "So rather than see them loose in the wild, it's better to bring them here."
Chavez decided the animals would be temporarily housed at the zoo inside a room specially designed for reptiles.
The Albuquerque Zoo already houses dwarf crocodiles, but to keep the two caimans found in Sandoval County would mean taking up limited space the zoo just doesn't have.
The reptiles will share another caiman's food. Zoo officials said the additional costs would be pennies a day.
"Its just a matter of feeding them some small fish at that age. It's pretty minimal care on crocodilians -- sometimes they don't eat for months," said Bio-Park Assistant Director Tom Silva.
The caimans are expected to call the zoo home for the next six months. In the meantime, Albuquerque Zoo staff will conduct a search to find the best place to permanently house the reptiles.
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