Frightened by being chased by domestic dogs, the giant monitor lizard hid on an electric pole for hours.
The incident happened in mid-August in a small village in Sara Buri province, central Thailand, attracting public attention. Many witnesses said they were very scared when they saw a giant lizard as big as the monster Godzilla, clinging to the electric pole.
The recorded video shows that the animal uses four strong limbs and its sharp claws to cling to the concrete pole next to the electrical wires. It remained aloft for many hours, prompting Suwit Yamubon, 51, a villager, to call for help.
“At first I saw it appear in the garden. It might want to come in to find food. Fearing that it would be attacked, I let the dog out and chased it. Then it quickly climbed up the power pole to escape. I was afraid it would be electrocuted, so I had to ask the rescue team,” Mr. Suwit said.
When rescuers arrived, the animal was still clinging to the concrete pillar. One had to take a specialized pole to bring it down. After that, the animal was released to a place away from residential areas.
According to local media, this is an Asian water lizard, also known as a flower iguana. They are very common in this country, often living in swamps, canals or ponds.
Normally, this animal tends to live quite harmoniously in urban areas in Thailand. But in March, the sudden appearance of a giant lizard weighing about 100kg disturbed a house in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Asian water iguanas are large lizards native to South and Southeast Asia. It is one of the most common species in Asia, from Sri Lanka and the northeastern coast of India to Indochina, the Malay peninsula and the islands of Indonesia.
When mature, they can reach more than 3m in length, often eating snakes, frogs or human leftovers. If threatened, they can become aggressive. The bite of this species contains a mild venom, which can carry harmful bacteria.
