Six-Foot Lizard Has Invaded One Florida Family’s Backyard and Eludes Capture

Days after homeowner took video of the Asian water monitor, animal control has failed to catch it.

A monitor lizard lies in a tree in the Khao Yai national park on March 18, 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo by Isa Foltin/Getty Images)
A monitor lizard lies in a tree in the Khao Yai national park on March 18, 2017 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo by Isa Foltin/Getty Images)
Getty Images

A six-foot, 100-pound lizard has been stalking the area around one Davie, Florida family’s home since Sunday, according to The Daily Beast. The lizard is an Asian water monitor, a non-native creature comparable to a baby alligator in size, and it has managed to evade capture on multiple occasions.

Maria Lieberman filmed the Asian water monitor on the first day it arrived, as it sat outside her family’s glass door. Experts say that Asian water monitors do in fact bite and can be dangerous, though they are not venomous.

Since Sunday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, trappers, and hunting dogs have all tried and failed to secure the Asian water monitor. “We just want it out of our environment so can go back to our lives,” said Zachary Lieberman.

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