Henery Bugden nabbed the ‘Catch of the Day’ when he caught a water monitor in a garden on Albert Street last Tuesday. Henery, who is an Honorary Officer with KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife, was called out by the SPCA and asked to remove the monitor from the property.
A permit is needed to keep a water monitor on a property.
Henery successfully caught the reptile and released it back into its habitat.
The water monitor spends most of it’s time in or close to water where it forages along the banks of rivers or pans searching for food which can consist of birds eggs, fledglings, frogs, crabs, smaller reptiles, insects or small mammals.
Approximately 20 to as many as 60 eggs are laid in old termite nests where they hatch 120 – 180 days later.
Although usually found close to water, these monitors are not water dependent and will actively forage for food on land, travelling large distances from water if need be.
They are also capable of climbing trees but are usually found basking on riverbanks. The streamlined shape of the body is perfect for a semi-aquatic lifestyle and it uses its long, strong tail to propel itself through the water with consummate ease.