Authorities in Florida in the United States have caught a giant monitor lizard that has disrupted the peace in the town of Davie for months.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said it captured the eight-foot-long (2.4-meter) Asian water monitor lizard on November 6.
A homeowner in the town reported the lizard at around midday on November 5 and said it had been spotted there frequently. The next day biologists showed up and caught the lizard with the help of the animals’ owner before noon.
The owner has been told she can retrieve her “pet” but will also receive a criminal citation for not caging the reptile properly. According to state laws, owning a non-native pet is not an offense but it is illegal to release one into the wild.
Zachary Lieberman, who first reported the lizard’s emergence back in August, said everybody in the neighborhood was relieved, WPLG-News reported.
Monitor lizards are big reptiles that have their origins in Asia and are not native to Florida. They typically eat small animals and can turn aggressive if threatened. Some monitor lizards have venomous bites that can harm humans.
Read: Florida family shocked when giant Asian lizard pays a call