Equipped with ropes and his bare hands, Bry Loyst spent Tuesday traversing a shallow, murky pond in Confederation Park searching for an elusive crocodile or alligator.

After several hours, the daytime search was called off in favour of a nighttime search, where Loyst’s crew and Hamilton Conservation Authority staff hoped to spot the reptile’s eyes that glow when flashed with light.

But, after nearly another hour Tuesday night, no such luck.

The pond leads into the Red Hill Creek, which leads into the Windermere Basin and eventually Lake Ontario — though that would be quite the journey for a cold, scared reptile, experts said.

Loyst, curator of the Indian River Reptile Zoo near Peterborough, was called in to find the crocodilian species after local birder Tom Badeau discovered the reptile and sent a photo to the authority Monday. The distant photo shows what looks like a small gator poking its head out of the water.

Despite no sightings Tuesday, Loyst said he is quite sure based on the photo and a far-away sighting Monday it is one of 23 crocodile or alligator species.

But he and authority searchers were satisfied after Tuesday night’s effort it is no longer in the area. No further searches are planned unless there are new sightings.

The animal must have been released from captivity, he said, adding that, unfortunately, people who keep reptiles as pets often release them when they get too big.

And, though he cautioned the public to stay away from the suspected gator if spotted, he said there is no serious public risk.

The greater concern is the survival of the reptile.

Crocodilian species do not eat in temperatures below 18 C and the cold temperatures make them slow, Loyst said. They can survive a year without food, but cannot survive winter temperatures.

Conservation authority assistant ecologist Lisa Jennings said it’s hard to say how often animals are dumped into local ecosystems since offenders are rarely caught.

Last year, the spawn of illegally dumped goldfish had to be removed from ponds in the Dundas Valley because they ate the eggs of endangered Jefferson salamanders and other native amphibians.

In the same pond where crews searched for the gator, there was also an exotic turtle species — a red ear slider — that had to have been dumped, Jennings said.

“Education is No. 1 when it comes to owning exotic species,” she said. “Take it too a zoo, the SPCA, where you purchased it.”

The Confederation Park pond is also home to many birds, carp — which could be seen spawning in the shallow water — and turtles, including snapping turtles, a “species of concern” under the Endangered Species Act. But a gator would be of no threat to them.

Animal control bylaws vary among the former municipalities that amalgamated into Hamilton, said city spokesperson Debbie Spence. A “gator-type” animal is prohibited in the city, Dundas and Stoney Creek, but falls under the zoning bylaw in Ancaster and Flamborough. Exemptions include pet stores, veterinary clinics and, in some areas, educational or display purposes.

Paul Kennedy, The Reptile Man, and owner of The Reptile Store on King Street East, said it’s a shame a few reptile owners ruin things for the responsible ones.

He has a 61/2-foot caiman and a seven-foot alligator that he uses for educational purposes in his store. Knowing how big these reptiles can get, he built large cages and keeps the water between 27 C and 32 C.

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During the early years of his business, which has been open 11 years, Kennedy said he sold some crocodilians and some people brought them back when they got too big.

He said fear over gator or croc attacks is often overblown.

“I’d rather take a big alligator out of someone’s yard than a big dog,” he said.