Kuala Terengganu/Kuala Nerus District Civil Defence Force personnel with the water monitor lizard weighing 60kg, December 22, 2021. — Picture from Twitter/Bernama
KUALA NERUS, Dec 22 — A water monitor lizard weighing 60 kilogrammes was caught at a house in Taman Permint near Seberang Takir, here this morning.
Civil servant Ronzi Abdullah, 50, said his daughter ran into the 2.7-metre-long lizard while warming up the car’s engine to go to work.
“My daughter was alone at home and while waiting for the engine to heat up, she went out to throw garbage in front of the house, before noticing the lizard in front of the door.
“Shocked to see the very large lizard, she immediately closed the grille door to stop it from escaping and called me who was at work at the time. The lizard had likely been hiding under her car,” he said when met today.
He said this was the second incident that occurred in the residential area after a similar large-sized reptile was found in his neighbour’s house, about three months ago.
Meanwhile, the Kuala Terengganu/Kuala Nerus District Civil Defence Force (APM) Operations Division Team Officer, Lt. M (PA) Edie Azhar Ramli said they received a distress call at 10 am.
He said the five-member team took 30 minutes to catch the reptile given its large size and aggressive behaviour.
“A lizard of this size is very dangerous because it can eat or injure babies and can also harm children with its tail,” he said, adding that the animal will be released to its original habitat far from the residential area.
Edie Azhar also did not rule out the possibility of the lizard showing up was due to the clogged drain following the monsoon season, allowing the reptile to move away from its natural habitat. — Bernama