Ron Main says he took this photo last Thursday of what appears to be a baby alligator up stream from the Mill Pond in Stirling, Ont. (Courtesy of Ron Main)

STIRLING, Ont. - The alligator in an Ontario pond may be a big fish story.

But Ron Main is sticking to it.

Main claimed last week he spotted a caiman - a small species of alligator - in Mill Pond in Stirling-Rawdon, in eastern Ontario north of Belleville, Ont. He even had a blurry photo to prove it.

The reptile ruckus caused a fuss in the community, with some calling it an urban myth and others gathering at the pond hoping for a glimpse of the gator. Staff from the Indian River Reptile Zoo, in nearby Peterborough, Ont., went in search of the beast, with no luck.

Stirling-Rawdon police told QMI Agency Thursday they've had the photo analyzed by the the provincial police's identification unit.

"They're of the opinion it was a photo of a photo of an alligator," said Sgt. James Orr.

But Main is adamant the photo is real and said he is "disappointed" the cops don't believe it is authentic.

"Now my name looks bad," he said. "But it doesn't bother me. I just tell people, 'You believe what you want and I'll believe what I want'."

Orr isn't willing to say the alligator doesn't exist, only that Main was unable to produce the original digital photo from his camera's memory card.

At this point, he said, it's "a wait-and-see situation."

Main said his concern lies with the safety of both the animal and the people of Stirling.

"If he shows up dead, I'll be really upset. If he hurts a child, I'll be really, really upset," he said.

Main planned to visit the pond Thursday, but said he wouldn't be taking any more photos.

"Nope. I won't be taking my camera. I'm just going to leave it alone," he said. "Hopefully someone else will come forward with a photo."

His Facebook page also indicated that he won't be doing anymore media interviews.

If nothing else, the Stirling Mill Pond gator has become a local celebrity. It even has it's own Twitter account at @stirlinggator with more than 120 followers.

-with files from Megan Abraham