How many monitor lizards at Lumpini Park? It depends on whose count

[webfact]

How many monitor lizards at Lumpini Park? It depends on whose count

 

 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has no objection to a plan of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to hold an exhibition of monitor lizards in the Lumpini park so that members of the public can get to know the reptiles better.

 

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwangmuang said Monday that the City Hall agreed with the proposal for the two organizations to conduct a census of the population of the monitor lizards in Lumpini Park as the two of them have different estimates of the numbers of the reptiles, with the parks department saying there are about 160 while the City Hall believing there are about 400.  But whatever the numbers,  monitor lizards have been a common sight at the city’s biggest public park for years.  

While insisting that the city administration has no problem with the planned holding of an exhibition about monitor lizards in the park, the governor said he was not sure that the public would accept the idea because there are people who despise the reptiles.  Many Thais still have a belief that monitor lizards or “hia” represent bad luck.  

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/how-many-monitor-lizards-at-lumpini-park-it-depends-on-whose-count/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-09-04

[bluesofa]

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

Many Thais still have a belief that monitor lizards or “hia” represent bad luck.  

It's only bad luck if it bites you.

In fact from the PBS article:

"He insisted that the parks department should be responsible for catching the reptiles while the City Hall has the duty to prevent them from harming or scaring scarring park visitors."

 

[webfact]

Should 'hia' go or should they stay in Lumpini Park?

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration may hold an opinion poll to ask Bangkokians whether monitor lizards should be evicted from Lumpini Park in the heart of the capital.
 

BMA governor Aswin Kwanmuang said monitor lizards, whose Thai name is "hia", have multiplied very fast in the park and are frightening visitors to the park.

 

 

The reptiles, whose Thai name has become an abusive word for scolding others apparently because Thais fear their appearance, have found plenty of food in the park's ecology system and bred and laid eggs very fast, the governor said.

 

He said it was estimated that the monitor lizards population has risen to about 400 in the park.

 

 

Aswin said park officials tried to control the population by collecting eggs but the reptiles hid their eggs, which hatch every 50 days, and they breed two or three times a year.

 

Aswin said the BMA relocated 150 large monitor lizards from the park in 2016 and 150 more this year.

 

Since the plan to capture and relocate more monitor lizards from the park received both opposition and support from the public, the BMA is considering holding an opinion poll soon before taking further action, the governor added.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30353683

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-09-04

[bluesofa]

Would neutering them be an answer to keep everyone (apart from the monitor lizards) happy?

Not that I'm aware if it's practical to neuter a reptile - short of glueing a cork up it, to prevent the eggs coming out?

 

[anon789561]

What is this story? They cleared them all out about a year ago. Go there now you’d be lucky to see one 

[Trichiliocosm]

I was there a few weeks ago and they are definitely still there. Saw dozens of them and they should continue to be there. Humanity attempts to do away with all life around them that isn’t agreeable and when certain species learn how to be opportunists, like us, we label it a nuisance and try to eradicate it. It’s humans who are the parasite in what was once a perfectly balanced ecosystem. 

[mstevens]

13 hours ago, Happy enough said:

What is this story? They cleared them all out about a year ago. Go there now you’d be lucky to see one 

I walked through Lumpini Park a couple of weeks ago and saw dozens of them and I wasn't looking hard.  They don't seem to cause any harm to humans so what's the big deal?

Edited September 4, 2018 by mstevens

[lamyai3]

15 hours ago, webfact said:

the BMA is considering holding an opinion poll soon before taking further action, the governor added.

Last time they had an opinion poll the lizards chose to stay in the park, but the BMA evicted them anyway 

[bluesofa]

1 hour ago, mstevens said:

I walked through Lumpini Park a couple of weeks ago and saw dozens of them and I wasn't looking hard.  They don't seem to cause any harm to humans so what's the big deal?

I don't think it matters about your physique - whether you look hard or puny - it shouldn't affect your ability to be able to see them.

 

[bluesofa]

18 minutes ago, lamyai3 said:

Last time they had an opinion poll the lizards chose to stay in the park, but the BMA evicted them anyway 

I  think it's to do with their demeanour - I suppose they do look like squatters.

 

[Nyezhov]

Cool critters...

[Nyezhov]

Cool critters

 

[owl sees all]

When I was there in 2008 I counted 192. That might not be the exact number that occupy the park at the present time.

 

A bargirl told me that they were put into the park originally to control the snakes. Interesting!

 

I had a special edition red Farrari cap at the time and I left it in one of those Swan boats (can't remember the number). If anyone has found a cap (as described) please get in touch.

Edited September 5, 2018 by owl sees all

[anon789561]

8 hours ago, mstevens said:

I walked through Lumpini Park a couple of weeks ago and saw dozens of them and I wasn't looking hard.  They don't seem to cause any harm to humans so what's the big deal?

Yeah I used to live near the park. There used to be loads. I like them. Last time I was there I didn’t see one. Maybe just bad luck 

[lamyai3]

16 hours ago, owl sees all said:

When I was there in 2008 I counted 192. That might not be the exact number that occupy the park at the present time.

The lizards are notoriously slippery, using their natural advantage of looking alike to nip off round the back of a tree after they've been counted and then show up again a few minutes later. It's actually possible you counted just one lizard who repeated this trick 192 times, though it's more likely they operated in a small gang.