Nile Monitor Lizard Captured After 11 Days of Terror… Owner Faces Fines

[Anchor]

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

Reporter Yoo Soo-Hwan has more.

[Reporter]

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

[Witness Resident: A lizard, a lizard! Right there, look at that!]

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

[Witness Resident: It's coming right away, hurry. Call 119.]

Firefighters responding to the emergency call successfully captured the reptile using a landing net and a capture trap.

[Kim Hee-seok / Suwon Fire Station Firefighter (Capturing Firefighter): I could see its tail in the crevice of the rocks. We caught it with an animal capture net near its escape route.]

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

Residents had been living in anxiety due to its large size reaching up to 1 meter and its sharp claws. Because schools, daycare centers, and libraries are densely clustered around the area, relevant authorities had continued a large-scale 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 lizard—an internationally endangered species Class II—without reporting it to the government, authorities plan to take administrative action against him.

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

Police also stated that they are investigating the channel through which the man adopted the Nile monitor lizard 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)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.