Mossel Bay reptile rescuers, Slangboere, on Wednesday executed a dramatic yet comical rescue of a leguaan, also called a water monitor, that had been holed up in a shed on a property in Tergniet.

Equipped with a blanket and sheer dedication, Devon de Villiers and two others entered a dark and cluttered shed on a property in Tergniet, searching within and underneath the structure before eventually spotting the tail of the leguaan hiding under a crate.

The next challenge was safely capturing the powerful and agile lizard. This was successfully done, but was not without its difficulties, which were all captured on a dramatic video filmed by De Villiers.

Speaking to Mossel Bay Advertiser about the unusual and challenging rescue, De Villiers, based in Dana Bay, said he received a call from someone in the Little Brak River area about two weeks ago, saying a water monitor had been spotted walking along the beach.

“Yesterday, we got a call from a Tergniet resident, saying the monitor was on their property. When my team and I arrived, the monitor had crossed the street, over to another house, climbed over the fences of two other properties and was believed to be on another property.”

However, as the team got to the property, thought to be the leguaan’s final destination, a man from across the street approached De Villiers, looking panicked.

“He said his gardener saw a giant lizard in the shed. I went inside the shed with one of my team members and we looked around. We looked under the shed as well and couldn’t find it. I decided to have a last look inside before I left and that is when I saw its tail sticking out from under a crate.”

De Villiers and his team then spent the next several minutes trying to catch the monitor, which wriggled from De Villiers’ grip a few times before he eventually secured it and moved it to a crate outside.

He said this was the first monitor rescue he and his team had done here in Mossel Bay, as the reptiles do not naturally occur in the area.

De Villiers said water monitors are found in the Eastern Cape and KZN. He said they can be found in Oudtshoorn, but not in areas that are right by the coastline.

He added that monitors are extremely powerful creatures, with a strong bite, and an even stronger tail.

He said the monitor’s mouth is full of bacteria and is slightly venomous, and while a bite is not fatal, one should seek medical attention if bitten.

When asked where he thought the monitor came from, he said it could have been kept illegally as a pet or had been transported on a bakkie or truck from another province.

“Water monitors are great climbers so it would be relatively easy for them to climb up into a vehicle and stay put for a long trip.”

De Villiers said CapeNature had been informed of the rescue and that Slangboere did have a permit to keep the monitor temporarily until it could be relocated.

Watch: Video by Slangboere:

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