DNER secretary witnesses fatal attack on caiman in Manatí

By The Star Staff

Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez reported on Thursday an incident that occurred last Sunday in which a citizen fatally attacked a caiman on Highway PR-686, kilometer 4.1, in the Laguna neighborhood of Manatí.

“While I was driving to a family activity, I observed a citizen brutally attacking a caiman in front of a woman and a child,” Quiles said in a written statement. “I stopped immediately and reported the situation to the Commissioner of the [DNER] Ranger Corps.”

The citizen, accompanied by the woman and the child, fled the scene in a minivan after the DNER chief witnessed the incident. Quiles said he provided the vehicle information, including the license plate number, to initiate the corresponding investigation.

The caiman, some three and a half feet long, died the same day as a result of the attack, a veterinarian confirmed. Quiles thanked the Ranger Corps and the Manatí Municipal Police for their work, reiterating his commitment to appear as a witness in court proceedings.

The investigation is being led by Officer Héctor Maisonet of the Manatí Municipal Police. The case was filed under complaint number 2025-2-047-002871.