Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ORLANDO SENTINEL (Florida) 18 September 07 Large lizard on the loose in Edgewood (Rich Mckay)
Edgewood police are on the hunt for a cold-blooded, 4 1/2-foot-long Godzilla-wannabe with bad breath, sharp talons and an appetite for small mammals.
It was last seen swimming in a backyard pool off South Orange Avenue near Mandalay Road. Police have had several reported sightings of it running through yards.
The reptilian invader to the small bedroom community south of Orlando is thought to be an African Nile monitor lizard, likely an escaped pet, said police Chief John Tegg, who was handing out warning fliers Monday.
"I haven't seen the rascal myself, but we want to get it," Tegg said. "I hear their bites are real nasty."
The critter, which can grow up to 7 feet, has been known to rear up on its hind legs, hiss like a leaking tire and run faster than most football quarterbacks. It can climb trees and swim long distances.
Monitor-lizard owners also have discovered that the pet can dig through drywall and slice through wire cages and doesn't like to cuddle.
It will eat almost anything. Fluffy and Fido are on the menu, but its favorite foods are bird and crocodile eggs, said Scott Hardin, exotic-species coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
If its bite or nasty claws don't get you, it can deliver a surprise blow from its powerful tail, Hardin said.
"We don't recommend that anyone approach or corner it," he said.
The lizard's bite isn't poisonous, but its bacteria-laced saliva can be toxic, he said.
Tegg and trapper Corey Hicks, operations manager of Critter Control in Orlando, said they think the lizard on the lam was once a pet. Police have received complaints about a former Edgewood-area resident who released several monitors he tried to breed at home.
Hicks said his company caught a monitor lizard of a similar size in the area a few months ago.
He is sympathetic to the creatures, saying their surly behavior is only natural. Because the creatures survive well in captivity, humans took the species from its native Nile River basin, where crocodiles hunt them.
When Hicks catches such a lizard, typically in traps baited with raw squid, he tries to find it a home at a zoo or Gatorland.
"I'll go through the phone book until I find someone who'll take it," he said.
Hardin said monitor lizards have been reported in Orange County since 2003, but there are no confirmed reports of a breeding population, such as one in Cape Coral in southwest Florida that is defying an eradication effort.
Female monitor lizards can lay more than 80 eggs at a time.
Because of the lizards' omnivorous appetite, they can wreak havoc on native Florida species, including the burrowing owl and gopher tortoise.
Hardin said that reports of a would-be breeder freeing numerous monitor lizards have him concerned.
"If there were breeding pairs released, it stands a better chance of survival in the Lake Conway area," he said. "They like to live near an aquatic area."
Large lizard on the loose in Edgewood

Why can't the media use their imagination and violent imagery to scare people from things that are actually harmful(like tv's, newspapers and government)not a harmless lizard that wants absolutely nothing to do with them.
Godzilla has returned! LMAO.

lol, another nile out to eat children and dogs lol. Wonder is the montreme (or whatever) will drop by to tell us how niles are destroying everything.lol

Absolutely ridiculous. Everyone lock your doors, there is a monitor on the loose, lol...

Here we go again. If you don't live in central Florida you have Know idea how ridiculous this gets. The last time this happened it was in Cassleberry a suburb on the North side of Orlando (Edgewood is on the south side). They were totally obsessed with the Nile that was loose then and misinformation was flying left and right. The monitor in that episode was about 4ft. long (that I could tell by the video.) and according to them ...get this... It weighed 80lbs!!! that's right 80lbs!!! My Nile monitor of 14yrs who recently passed away was 5and1/2ft(probably would have been 6 if he hadn't whacked off parts of his tail in younger years.) and I'll bet he didn't weigh 20lbs and he was always a little on the heavy side. The escaped nile was finally shot by police which is really safe considering this area is extremely overpopulated by another more harmful historically non-indigenous species that causes great enviromental damage. I am assuming that the oompa woompas came by and rolled this 80lb 4ft nile away as it has not been seen since. Some of the "facts" that they come up with about nile monitors were totally ridiculous too It was claimed that they got to (I am not making this up!) 250lbs! That's Probably big even for a Komodo and if if one of my waters weighed this much I would definately be looking out for the oompa woompas (really if one of my waters weighed that much I would be afraid it would explode.) Even more ridiculous than the weight was the other factoid I caught on the news was (and I am not making this up either.) was that they (monitors) can whip you with their poisonous Tail.(I swear to God I am not making that up I really heard tha!!!) Of course then there was the standard lock up your pets and children crap which I find comical. In adition to playing with Monitors and other lizards I keep lots of boids (Brazillians, Argentines, balls etc.) and raise my own rodents. I have one large male Argentine and a male D'albert's python and a small female green anaconda (8ft.) who all take adutl rats and are all picky sporadic eaters. My point here is that I often feed my monitors rodents passed up by the snakes (I hate wasting Rodents) and I wish to God I could have gotten my Nile to regularly take full-sized rats. Most of the time If he would take them at all he would rip them to shreds and make a mess and most times he wouldn't even do that. I realize that Chihuahuas and Min-pins are small but for God's sake there not THAT small.

Another story had the monitor classified as a serpent. :0

I live down the road from Casselberry and the story I heard was that the police tried to shoot it, but nothing was ever confirmed.

Yeah, but if you really followed it on channel 6 it got really ridiculous. The "facts" came up with were really something(I didn't make those up,they really used them.) That station should fire their fact checker. I felt bad fr the reporter until after the clip from pet bazaar where they showed the tank full of savs. and said they were niles and then interviewed Chaz. I know Chaz very well, he used to help me with a little pet store I ran several years back at flea world and I have known him for years, so I know he knows his monitors, very well and definitely knows the difference between niles and savs. I talked to him after the report and busted on him about it, he told me they had a couple niles in the store at the time but the reporters insisted on filming the savs and calling them niles. I guess there is no reason to let the facts get in the way of a good story. As far as the cops shooting the monitor in a heavily populated area like that (I actually sought out the retention pond-I'm a monitor guy, what do you expect!-this pond is surrounded by homes well within range of small arms ) that demonstrates a whole new level of irresponsibility. Having grown up in south Texas around guns...I can't describe on this forum what would have happened to me had I pulled some stunt like that as a kid. If local police would put as much dilligence into combating the armed robbery and murder problem(remember the ihop robbery around the corner in Cassleberry from the lizard pond.) perhaps we wouldn't have such an armed robbery/murder problem as we do.

I was gonna post the other night asking if they ever found the one in Casselberry but didn't really have time. I heard the same thing Laura said, that a police officer had shot it or shot at it but they weren't sure if he got it.

That Sentinel writer did a great job of sensationalizing an average story. Gotta give him credit for that, from an author/publisher point of view. However, as a responsible community member, he made one mell of a hess. Fearmongering at it's finest.

Yeah, we should all be royally ticked about that, however, let's not let it distract us from spending more energy & time in finding out the truth about a suspected breeder turning 'em loose. If this turns out to be true I think a good 'ol southern boys' midnight rendezvous would be in order.

I spent the first 30yrs of my life in the Apopka area so I know the central FL area well. We Apopka boys knew how to take care of rogues.

Possible bottomline: Ignorance is bliss. On all fronts. It's a heck of a battle we've got to fight.

Ya'll keep 'em straight down there!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

This is all that I could dig out of my archives - pretty inconclusive:

Casselberry Monitor (May 07)
28 May 07 http://www.wesh.com/news/13399323/detail.html
28 May 07 http://www.local6.com/news/13398420/detail.html?subid=22100428&qs=1;bp=t
29 May 07 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18914554/

Yeah, that first link, the WESH - Channel 2 article, is the last one I saw or heard about. I think you had posted that update for us here.

Let me take this opportunity to express our gratitude for your perseverance in posting these types of news articles. Your service is much appreciated and I know you don't get the credit & thanks you deserve. Not only are they informative within theirself, they usually bring about good discussions, too.

Thank you!

Have a good one!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

The cassleberry monitors (there were at least 3 of which 2 were caught and one was apparently shot) have dropped the radar lately. the newest one is in pinecastle(oh. i'm sorry, edgewood). The police are going door to door warning people (without a badge I think that's called "inciting a riot" and of course the media circus is on. This time it's channel 9's turn. btw you're from Apopka? I'm from Paisley (not originally but for last 6yrs)

Ahh, Paisley. A little bit of heaven still left in central FL. A skip & a holler from Euseless (Eustis). Know anyone with the last name of "Wood"?

I'm actually from Plymouth, but more people have heard of Apopka than Plymouth, and I graduated from Apopka High, that's why I say "Apopka" instead. I lived in Pine Lakes my last few yrs down there. Now, that was nice.

Man, if that nile was in Paisley the only way we'd hear about it would be from the boys organizin' a huntin' expedition so "Junior" could have that thang mounted or skinned. Hahahaha!!! I'm a "Junior," in a sense, so I can say that. Ha! Ha!

Take care!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

Wood doesn't ring a bell (at least here) but then I am one the true paisley types I leave people alone and expect the same of others. Having said that, If a nile showed up around here people would show at my door with torches and pitchforks THEN they go trophy hunting. btw I go through plymouth on my wat to Farm city in Apopka.

WESH (Orlando, Florida) 18 September 07 Fliers Help Generate Leads For Lurking Lizard
Edgewood, Fla.: Police in an Orange County neighborhood are hot on the trail of a suspect who is fast with a fierce bite.
John Marsh spotted Edgewood's most wanted waltzing right through his back yard, WESH 2 News reported.
The monitor lizard caused no trouble on Monday. It just slithered into the shrubs.
It's one of many sightings that has gotten the attention of police.
"I think what it really gets down to is an irresponsible pet owner has turned this thing loose. I've heard about it for about a year now," said Police Chief John Tegg said.
The city of Edgewood is taking this seriously. Police handed out fliers to track down the lizard.
It's not known where it's lurking now. Some fear the lizard is hanging in trees, scouting for a new home, or maybe it's moved underground.
But those fliers have already generated leads.
Marsh said he was reading the flier, looked up and there the lizard was. By the time police arrived, the lizard was gone.
Police don't want residents to kill or capture the lizard. They're bringing in professional trappers, but first they need to find it.
Police said the lizard likely poses little threat to humans but could be trouble for small pets.
Fliers Help Generate Leads For Lurking Lizard