Sunbathing monitor lizard lashes out at rescuers after being disturbed
- 6 years ago
This angry monitor lizard was not happy about being disturbed after he was found basking on the pavement having just eaten a meal.
Passers-by called the emergency services when the 6ft long reptile was seen wandering across the road in Bangkok, Thailand.
Rescuers arrived to find him basking on the pavement - but the beast sparked panic when it lashed out at one man then made a mad dash across the road to try and escape.
Animal handlers from the Sawang Benjatham Foundation spent 20 minutes trapping the Asian water monitor lizard by lassoing him then standing on his back.
Onlooker Mana Sringampong, who made the emergency call, said: ''I sell crabs at a fresh market nearby and was on my way to my shop in the morning.
''I saw this huge monitor lizard lying in the middle of the road and I was afraid he would become road kill. I stopped my bike to choo him away to be more on the side of the road and then I continued towards my shop.
''A couple of hours after I came back he was still sitting in the same spot. This time with a bigger belly. I guess he must have just eaten and was sunbathing.
''These kind of amphibians are cold-blooded and they need heat to help with digesting food, so I think he was sunbathing after a big meal.''
Passers-by called the emergency services when the 6ft long reptile was seen wandering across the road in Bangkok, Thailand.
Rescuers arrived to find him basking on the pavement - but the beast sparked panic when it lashed out at one man then made a mad dash across the road to try and escape.
Animal handlers from the Sawang Benjatham Foundation spent 20 minutes trapping the Asian water monitor lizard by lassoing him then standing on his back.
Onlooker Mana Sringampong, who made the emergency call, said: ''I sell crabs at a fresh market nearby and was on my way to my shop in the morning.
''I saw this huge monitor lizard lying in the middle of the road and I was afraid he would become road kill. I stopped my bike to choo him away to be more on the side of the road and then I continued towards my shop.
''A couple of hours after I came back he was still sitting in the same spot. This time with a bigger belly. I guess he must have just eaten and was sunbathing.
''These kind of amphibians are cold-blooded and they need heat to help with digesting food, so I think he was sunbathing after a big meal.''