A 70-centimeter (2.3-foot) Nile monitor lizard has remained loose in Suwon for 10 days despite daily searches, baited traps and plans to deploy a net gun.
A large lizard appears in the Gwanggyo New Town area of Suwon, Gyeonggi. Authorities initially identified it as an Asian water monitor, an internationally endangered species.YONHAP
A Nile monitor lizard about 70 centimeters (2.3 feet) long has eluded capture for 10 days after appearing on a walking trail in Suwon, Gyeonggi, and startling residents.
Suwon has sent workers to search an apartment complex in Gwanggyo New Town and the nearby Soejukgol stream walking trail every day since Aug. 11, when the first news reports of the large lizard appeared.
The city has added seven traps baited with raw chicken and rats in grassy areas around Gwanggyo Hongjae Library and the trail, but none has caught the animal.
City officials and firefighters conducted a joint search for about three hours on Aug. 11 without success. Calls to the 119 emergency line from people who said they had seen the lizard followed, but no new public sightings have been reported since Aug. 14.
A city employee searching near Soejukgol stream spotted the lizard Wednesday but could not catch it because it fled too quickly. Officials believe the animal remains in the area and plan to continue daily searches.
Suwon has also asked the National Institute of Ecology for a net gun to use in the capture effort.
Residents first learned the animal was loose on Aug. 7, when one of them shared a video of it in an apartment residents' group chat. More sightings followed.
The lizard in the footage initially appeared to residents to be about 1 meter long. Concern grew after news outlets reported the sightings on Aug. 11, when the city and fire authorities began searching in earnest.
Nile monitors are large lizards native to Africa. Adults generally grow to around 1.5 to 2 meters long and eat fish, frogs, rodents and other small animals.
The species is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, meaning its international trade is regulated.
The Gwanggyo monitor is believed to have been kept as a pet by a resident of a nearby apartment complex. After reports of the sightings spread, the resident told authorities that they had previously owned the animal.
A pet tegu lizard is captured in Gimpo, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 15, 2024, about three hours after it escaped from its owner during a walk. The photo is not related to the articleGYEONGGI FIRE AND DISASTER HEADQUARTERS
Police are conducting a preliminary inquiry into a possible violation of the Wildlife Protection and Management Act but have not formally booked the resident because ownership of the escaped lizard has yet to be established.
"We have confirmed that the person under inquiry possesses records related to an animal believed to be the lizard," a police official said. "But because the lizard has not yet been captured, we cannot determine whether this person is actually its owner. Until ownership is established, we cannot formally open a case."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
