NEWS-PRESS (Fort Myers, Florida) 23 August 05 Mass lizard trapping planned - Biologists use radios to study Nile monitors (Angela Hill)
Scientists are closer to finding the best way to trap and eradicate the Nile monitor lizards that call Cape Coral home, with help from some radios.
Todd Campbell, biologist with the University of Tampa, coordinates a program to trap the lizards. He and a team of field biologists have trapped 10 lizards, put radio transmitters on them and re-released them in hopes of determining their daily movement patterns.
Campbell said finding out where and how far the lizards move around will help him figure out the best way to trap the exotic species. The lizards pose a threat to animals, like the native burrowing owl and gopher tortoise that live in the burrows the lizards like. The lizards could also pose a threat to the wading bird population because, in their native Africa, they eat bird eggs.
Campbell has not found a consistent pattern of movement from the lizards.
"Some are not moving much at all and others we can't find because they are moving so far so fast and others are moving real far and then coming back in the other direction," he said.
One lizard in particular traveled a kilometer (1.61 miles) in four to five hours, crossing a number of streets and canals.
"They never cease to amaze me," Campbell said.
He hopes to begin mass trapping by next summer.
"When a person calls us with a lizard sighting, we want to know how confident if we go out there that day or in the next couple days what is the likelihood that animal will still be there," he said. "Knowing the movements will help us figure out how many traps we have to put out, just one or a number along a canal.
"If someone sees a lizard crossing their yard we will probably not be able to get there that day and that lizard could be a kilometer away in a couple hours.
"We want to know if that animal will come back to that same area."
Campbell said the lizards are semi-aquatic and usually make their homes near Cape Coral's canals. The majority of Nile monitor lizards live in southwest Cape Coral. Campbell isn't sure how many lizards live in Lee County, but believes the number to be in the thousands. Since 2003, Campbell and his team have trapped 95 lizards.
After a lizard is trapped, it is euthanized, similar to the way veterinarians put down cats and dogs. They are then frozen and transported to the University of Tampa to Campbell.
They are a nuisance species not native to Florida and have the potential to affect animals native to the area. The lizards don't pose a threat to people but could to pets.
Field biologist Lee Quintard said the lizards don't pose a threat to humans.
"We've found they would even run from the smallest child," he said. "If they hear movement they will run, but if they are cornered they will fight like most animals."
Campbell has two theories on how monitor lizards, native to Africa, were introduced into Lee County.
He believes a few people had them as pets and as they grew bigger and meaner, the owners released them.
Enough were released to reproduce and start a population.
His second theory is someone involved in the pet trade wanted to start a population so lizards could be sold.
In May, Campbell's team was given first proof that the large non-native lizards eat the city's beloved burrowing owls. No other owls have been reportedly eaten by the lizards.
The city of Cape Coral is working with Campbell and his team by helping trap lizards. Campbell has run out of funding and he is searching for grants. Until funds are found, Campbell said it is going to be difficult to do any mass trapping. The city has also scaled back its trapping efforts.
Campbell hopes to have funding by fall to begin trapping. He said he doesn't want to begin trapping until he acquires enough money for the project — probably over $200,000.
"I don't want to have $10,000 here or there to work off of," he said. "If we can get a big chunk of money we can hopefully hire a large number of trappers. It takes a while, sometimes six months, for grants to come through."
Kraig Hankins, environmental biologist with the city of Cape Coral, said the city is trapping about a lizard a week.
"We are generally trying to hit areas where there have been multiple sightings," he said. "Ideally, repeated sightings are better because then they have established a territory."
Field biologists, like Lee Quintard, go out at least once a week to track the lizards. Quintard uses a radio transmitter to track where a lizard is by listening to the frequency. The faster the frequency the closer he is to the animal. After locating a lizard, Quintard records the animal's location, body temperature and reaction as he approaches.
"They are pretty erratic in their movement," said Quintard.
Mass lizard trapping planned - Biologists use radios to study Nile monitors