Monitor Lizard found roaming the streets of South Pattaya

PATTAYA:--On Wednesday afternoon rescue services were called to a small road close to the Highway Police Station on the Sukhumvit Road in South Pattaya to remove a Monitor Lizard from the street as parents and other concerned residents feared the animal could harm their children.

Rescue Workers arrived and found that residents had already captured the Lizard which measured 1.3m in length and weighed an estimated 30kgs. One resident, Khun Pongsak aged 40 was the first to spot the animal and ran inside his apartment after shouting at children playing in the street to do the same.

Full story:http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/81680/monitor-lizard-roaming-streets-south-pattaya/

-- Pattaya One 2013-04-04

Ha! We get these in our village all the time. Nasty devils. Took 2 guards and one neighbor to capture the last one and take it away. Haven't seen the track marks again up my walls, so maybe it's gone by now.

1.30 m !? That's a baby. We have them in the canal, bordering our garden, up to 3 meters.

He is a 'Cloud Monitor Lizard' The one living in my garden is still a young guy, he has much brighter colours than this older one and is about 18" long.

What a crazy fuss about an animal.

Be happy you have some Fauna.

Everything is eaten here in Isaan as soon as it is in sight! Nothing left here, in Chayaphums, Udon Thanis countryside!

The last and only time I saw such a Lizzard in a similar size here in my Village, was as he was dead already and thrown in the fire to start the prepare for eating process!

I would buy a lottery ticket with a number ending on 30, this animal might bring good luck.

Where else would this poor creature go after the Thais and their greed have raped its natural habitat?

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

Where else would this poor creature go after the Thais and their greed have raped its natural habitat?

Which of course you can never accuse the West of ever doing

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

3 meters would make it another species.

What evidence we have that they can be aggressive except their teeth ?

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

I wonder how they know the difference between a wild dog and a domesticated one.

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

I wonder how they know the difference between a wild dog and a domesticated one.

Probably by the taste, tenderness and gamey flavour!

All lizards of the monitor family are of above average intelligence for reptiles and the ones found in Thailand are harmless to humans. They make good mousers/ratters as well. I've seen many on the park laws in Bangkok but never in Pattaya. Thais don't seem to like them, however, and their Thai name of "hia" is the ultimate insult if directed at another Thai (don't ever do it as it's fighting words).

What evidence we have that they can be aggressive except their teeth ?

The one we caught put up a heck of a fight. 3 guys, one really big, wrestling with it to get it out of the moo baan. Big concern was all the pets around. It would have bitten and looked to have a good set of teeth!

I would buy a lottery ticket with a number ending on 30, this animal might bring good luck.

Seems like everything in Thailand supposedly brings good luck.

They dont seem that dangerous. I saw them all the time in Rama Park in Bangkok, but locally here in Phuket I only saw one big one crossing the road in Koh Yao Noi, seems like a start to a good joke though. Why did the monitor lizard cross the road? Maybe he notice the BBQ pit being set up by the locals.

another hia roaming the streets of pattaya, you would think folks were used to it by now

Update: further investigation has shown that it is actually an old bar girl that is now living and working at the coconut bar near Beach Road and Soi 9.

The first one I ever saw was down in Rajburi. I was walking along a canal road on the way to the temple, and one crossed in front of me, had to been about 6' long. I about pee'd my pants. thought it was a gator. I did notice their wasn't a soi dog within a hundred yards.

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

3 meters would make it another species.

There are a lot of species of monitor lizards and all of them are considered large reptiles ranging in size from 12 - 310 cm so 3 m is not out of the ordinary. I have seen many on the back roads in Bang Na that I would say were around 2 feet long.

While I doubt an adult has much to worry about, small children and animals do. Besides being carnivorous some species of monitor lizard are believed to be venomous. On the other end of the scale is the largest of the species the komodo dragon, which has 57 forms of bacteria growing in its mouth that is so deadly that you may die even if you manage to escape after being bitten. The largest Komodo dragon weighed in at 166 kilos! Komodo's can run upto 20km/h!

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

I wonder how they know the difference between a wild dog and a domesticated one.

The Taste ?????

There are many of them in Jomtien !! And most of them drive motor taxis and tuk-tuks. And they do hurt, not only children!!

I would buy a lottery ticket with a number ending on 30, this animal might bring good luck.

Seems like everything in Thailand supposedly brings good luck.

There are whole industries making money with hogwash. My GF has a booklet that translates dreams into lottery numbers. Dream of an elephant for example, the corresponding numbers are 11 and 77.

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

I wonder how they know the difference between a wild dog and a domesticated one.

i call B.S on this one, we got them here too not 3 meters but 2 meters sure and my dogs go after it so do other dogs (soi dogs too) and chase it even though its much bigger back in the water. Though the real big ones don't seem to get scared of the dogs but they don't attack them either.

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

3 meters would make it another species.

You are wrong:

Monitor Lizard Land: As one of the oldest types of lizards, there are many different species of monitor lizards, and they cover a variety of areas. Ranging from some parts of Africa, India, Sri Lanka, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Australia.

Adult Size: With such a variety of locations for the monitors, their size ranges vastly also. The smallest monitor lizard can be anywhere from 8 inches in length and the largest monitor located in Southeast Asia can grow up to 9 feet (3 metres) in length.

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

I wonder how they know the difference between a wild dog and a domesticated one.

i call B.S on this one, we got them here too not 3 meters but 2 meters sure and my dogs go after it so do other dogs (soi dogs too) and chase it even though its much bigger back in the water. Though the real big ones don't seem to get scared of the dogs but they don't attack them either.

A friend lost his small dog to a monitor lizard not far from my house.

We have them up to 3 metres long around my Moo Bahn in Bangkok. Leave them alone, they don't attack humans, but are pretty useful for keeping the snakes and wild dog populations down. Not to mention the fighting cocks the factory mechanics are breeding up the road.

I wonder how they know the difference between a wild dog and a domesticated one.

i call B.S on this one, we got them here too not 3 meters but 2 meters sure and my dogs go after it so do other dogs (soi dogs too) and chase it even though its much bigger back in the water. Though the real big ones don't seem to get scared of the dogs but they don't attack them either.

A friend lost his small dog to a monitor lizard not far from my house.

In general soi dogs are not small dogs, i am sure they would eat a small dog..

As for the 3 meter.. they are komodo ones not the ones we got here.. those Komodo ones kill humans too.

Maybe a child, or defenseless elderly people. The komodo's can't bite large prey to death, they injure it, and wait until it succumbs to blood loss or infections. For days, a week if necessary. That monitor lizard doesn't look like a great biter either, but the claws look ominous.