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A large monitor lizard nearly 1 meter in length was spotted along a walking trail in an apartment complex in Gwanggyo, Gyeonggi Province. As the area is densely packed with schools and daycares, relevant authorities launched a search, but the animal has yet to be found.
Reporter Yoo Soo-Hwan has the story.
[Reporter]
A massive lizard crawls along the side of a walking trail.
The lizard, measuring close to 1 meter in body length, flicks its long tongue before disappearing.
This footage was recently captured along a walking trail in an apartment complex in the Gwanggyo New Town, Gyeonggi Province.
Experts estimate the creature to be a Nile monitor, a species native to Africa.
[Kang Gyu-ho / Senior Researcher, Animal Protection Department, National Institute of Ecology: It appears to be a two-year-old nearing adulthood. (Korea) is an environment where such a large lizard cannot survive, so someone must have abandoned it, thrown it away, or it escaped.]
The Nile monitor is a Class II internationally endangered species, and importing it into South Korea requires reporting to the government.
While they are not venomous, adults can grow up to 2 meters long and may attack humans if they feel threatened.
[Kang Gyu-ho / Senior Researcher, Animal Protection Department, National Institute of Ecology: (If bitten) you would be badly injured because their teeth are sharp. They bite and shake vigorously. It definitely needs to be captured, even for the animal's sake.]
Because the lizard was spotted in an area densely packed with elementary schools, daycares, and libraries, residents' anxiety is growing.
[Jung Mi-hye / Resident, Gwanggyo New Town, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province: From the apartment complexes to the walking trails, everything is connected as school commute routes. There are many children in this neighborhood. There are a lot of young children. Since the lizard is so huge, it could be dangerous.]
Suwon City and firefighting authorities searched the surrounding area today (August 11), but failed to find the lizard, prompting a nearby elementary school to send text messages to parents advising caution.
Meanwhile, Suwon City is going through verification procedures after a man claiming to be the owner of the lizard appeared, stating that he lost it a month ago.
Previously on July 18, a Siamese crocodile—a Class I internationally endangered species—was discovered and captured in the Soyang Stream in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.
(Video reporting: Kim Nam-sung | Video editing: Kim Ho-jin)
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