(MY) monitor lizards

[Guest guest]

2007/08/24-New Straits Times

Cross Country: Panic as monitor lizards run free

By : Sim Bak Heng

 

Email to friend Print article

 

The two monitor lizards that ran wild in the city centre before being

caught by a hawker yesterday evening. The reptiles were later taken

away by a man and what happened to them after that is not known.

 

 

JOHOR BARU: Workers cleaning a drain near the Johor Baru Central

police station on Wednesday found more than just rubbish.

 

When the drain cover was lifted, they discovered two monitor lizards inside.

 

The animals, measuring about 1.5 metres each, bolted while the workers

fled in the 6pm incident.

 

 

The lizards roamed free in the city centre for some time, causing a

stir among the rush- hour crowd.

 

 

Raymond Wong, who works in Singapore, said he spotted the lizards as

he was about to go to a money changer.

 

 

" I have seen many rats in the city's back lanes but this was the first

time I have come across monitor lizards.

 

 

" Luckily, they were not aggressive. "

 

 

The lizards were caught by a hawker who tied them to a fence. Soon

after, the spot was thronged by passers-by who wanted to take a closer

look at the animals.

 

 

The hawker, who declined to be named, said the reptiles might have

entered the city from the Johor Strait before seeking refuge in the

drain.

 

He later gave away the reptiles to a man.

 

 

A money changer said the local authority should clean all the drains

in the city.

 

 

" Running through the city centre is the polluted Sungai Segget. I

believe the lizards must have entered the drains from the river. "

 

 

Monitor lizards are mainly found in burrows built near river banks.

 

 

Feeding on crabs, snakes and other small animals, the reptiles run

faster than humans as they have powerful leg muscles. A monitor's bite

can be painful as the reptile has powerful jaws.