{Wes Note: I'm a newt guy and my expertise in monitors is lacking ... but if you go to the video contained in the URL below ... isn't that an iguana that they're filming? Cheers, W}
WBBH (Ft Myers, Florida) 20 October 04 Monitor lizards a growing problem
Collier County: They eat pets, can bite your hand off, and are covered with bacteria – monitor lizards are already a big problem in Cape Coral, and now there are concerns that the reptiles are becoming more common in Collier County as well.
At Caribbean Gardens in Naples, they're used to showing off animals that are not native to Florida. What they're not used to is catching the non-natives in our own backyards.
David Tetzlaff displayed a three and a half foot white throat or black throat monitor lizard to NBC2 Wednesday. It's a slightly different species than the Nile monitors found in Cape Coral, but it's no less dangerous – and when fully grown can be six feet long.
"This animal can take a digit off. When it's six feet long, it can eat your dog, it'll eat your cat. They're large, dangerous predators, these monitor lizards, Tetzlaff said.
"They have documented that monitor lizards are breeding up in Lee County," he said. "If one found a female or male, it could start breeding just like iguanas have."
Wildlife watchers desperately hope monitor lizards do not become like the non-native green iguanas. The battle against them has largely been lost.
"It's pretty much accepted now that in Florida, you're going to see green iguanas," said Jonnie Gove of Caribbean Gardens.
Besides being a danger to people and pets, the monitor lizards could hurt Florida's ecosystem and kill off native animals.
Although the monitor Caribbean Gardens showed NBC2 was found in Golden Gate Estates, a largely rural area, there've been reports of them in more populated areas like Bayshore in East Naples.
Wildlife experts assume the lizards were pets that have been let go – something the zoo hopes won't continue.
"This is not a pet. This is a wild animal," Tetzlaff said.
Experts say that if you see a monitor lizard in the wild, the first thing to do is get away. Then call the sheriff's office, the zoo or Florida Fish & Wildlife – they will be able to determine what to do next.
Monitor lizards a growing problem
