Nile Monitor Captured After 11 Days of Search in Suwon Apartment Complex; Owner Facing Fines

[Anchor]

The Nile monitor that appeared on an apartment walking trail in Gwanggyo, Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, has been captured 11 days after the search began and has been handed over to its owner. Fines are expected to be imposed on the owner for raising an international endangered species without reporting it.

Reporter Yoo Soo-Hwan has more.

[Reporter]

A monitor lizard with a long tail and distinctive patterns crawls along, flicking its tongue.

[Resident Witness: A lizard, a lizard! Look over there, right there!]

At around 10:40 a.m. today (the 22nd), the Nile monitor, which had vanished for more than 10 days, was spotted once again.

[Resident Witness: Hurry, come quickly. Call 119.]

Responding to the report, firefighters mobilized a landing net and a capture cage to successfully catch the animal.

[Kim Hee-seok / Suwon Fire Station Firefighter (Capturing Firefighter): I could see it in the crack of a rock, its tail. We captured it using an animal capture net from its escape route.]

This comes exactly 11 days after relevant authorities began their search on the 11th.

Due to its large size reaching up to 1 meter and sharp claws, residents had been living in anxiety. With schools, daycare centers, and libraries densely clustered nearby, relevant authorities had continued a massive search.

The City of Suwon stated that after confirming the exact species of the captured monitor lizard through the National Institute of Biological Resources, it was handed over to a man in his 40s known to be the owner.

However, as it was confirmed that the man had been raising the Nile monitor—a Class II international endangered species—without reporting it to the government, authorities plan to take administrative action.

[Official from the Han River Basin Environmental Office: The individual was in possession of the specimen without reporting its transfer and acquisition. This is a subject for administrative action. A fine of 1 million won will be imposed.]

Police also stated that they are investigating how the man adopted the Nile monitor and whether there were any illegal elements involved in the process.

(Video reporting: Kim Nam-sung, Video editing: Kim Jin-won, Footage provided by: Gyeonggi Disaster and Safety Headquarters & Suwon City Hall)

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