– hit pay dirt
THREE teenaged city residents braved overcast conditions on Friday afternoon to journey from their Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt residence to ‘E’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, where they caught four caimans ranging in length from 18 inches to four feet. Sixteen-year-old Shafiek Richards, together with David George and Trevon Evans, both 14 years old, performed the duties of caiman hunters, making the call for one and ending up with four instead, much to their surprise.
“We were liming round, doing nothing today (Friday) when the rain eased, and we decided to go and look for caimans, since we did not wish to play any football due to the unavailability of a ball,” Richards said.
The outspoken lad said that on their arrival in the area, they began to make a sound resembling a pigeon’s call, to which the larger of their catch responded by showing his head at the top of the water.
“That was all we needed, as we used the lasso (rope) that was attached at the end of the bamboo to reel him in, and later, we tied up his legs and mouth to prevent any danger happening to one of us.
“As we were in the process of tying him up, we saw the other three peeping out of the water, and did the same to them, too.
“From how it looks, he must be their father; and they were looking for food, so we saved a few chickens for the people in the area from being carried away, because you never know what they would do when they are hungry,” Richards said with a shrug of his shoulder.
Asked what they would do with their catch, the lads, who were accompanied by some of their colleagues, collectively said, “Sell them and make some money!” And they gave this as their reason for taking this stance: “Because if we take them to the zoo, they won’t pay us for them.”
They were certainly compensated, as a resident of the area paid $4,000 for the larger of their catch, while they made their way back to their place of dwelling, where they intended to find a market for the other three.