KEY LARGO, Fla.—Wildlife officials have finally captured a large invasive Asian water monitor that had been running loose in the Florida Keys for more than a year.
Florida Fish and Wildlife officials posted pictures on Facebook with this caption: “Elusive lizard captured!”
The lizard was more than 5 feet long and weighed 20 pounds.
Crews of staff members and volunteers had been setting traps and searching for the lizard. Once it was caught, the lizard was removed from the wild. Wildlife officials say this helps prevent the establishment of a new nonnative species.
Wildlife officers advise people to snap pictures if they see nonnative wildlife and report it to the agency.
‘Monster’ Lizard Terrorizing Florida Family
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A Florida family said it is being terrorized by a large Monitor lizard, according to local reports.
The lizard is about 7 feet long and weighs about 150 pounds, according to WESH-TV.
The family got the help of animal trappers, dogs, and Florida Fish and Wildlife officers to capture the lizard.
On the night of Aug. 26, 2018, the lizard was at the back patio door “scratching to get inside the house,” said Zachary Lieberman, the homeowner, WESH-TV reported.
“It’s scary,” he said, adding that he has not taken solace in the fact that Monitor lizards aren’t known to attack humans.
“They swim. It’s a water monitor. He can swim fast, run fast and get a hold of the kids fast,” Lieberman told Local10. “One bite from him and it could be devastating.”
“We haven’t captured it yet and we’ve been diligently trying,” Lieberman told the Miami Herald. “The FWC was out here and a couple of local trappers and I’ve been out there and we thought we had a good lead on it today. We were tracking it down but came up empty-handed.”
“It might have burrowed into the area,” Lieberman, of Davie, said. “The area I’m at is heavily forested, a big preserve, so it’s got a lot of hiding places. It’s not as easily accessible.”
Monitor lizards are not native to the Americas and are considered an invasive species. They’re found mostly in Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
FWC spokesman Rob Klepper told Local10 that Asian water monitor lizards don’t require a permit to have.
Jack Philips contributed to this report
