A beautiful male rock monitor lizard, with a length of 1.55m and weight of 10.2kg, was removed from Van Riebeeck Street yesterday (January 14) after it was spotted on top of the roof.

The rock monitor lizard (varanus albigularis) is one of two monitor lizards found in Ladysmith and is the largest lizard species on the continent.

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Between the carport and roof

Snake expert Fanie Cilliers and his team arrived to capture the reptile, and proceeded to the location where it was spotted between the roof and the carport. “Boy-oh-boy, were we in for a huge surprise!” they exclaimed.

Sean Cilliers climbed up to where the monitor lizard was resting and while Fanie was distracting it by moving his hands, Sean got a hold of its tail and the ‘battle royal’ began.

As monitor lizards have huge claws and a strong body, the beast dug its claws into the gap between the roof tiles and a tug-of-war started. Sean eventually managed to get Lucky (now the rock monitor lizard’s name) off the roof. He climbed down and the lizard was safely removed to be released back into the wild, out of town.

According to Fanie and the team, monitor lizards are extremely important in the environment, as they feed on most human problems like rodents, snakes and birds and even dassies (rock rabbits). So why do we find them in town and are they dangerous? “Just look around. As you can see, with all the rocks and cliffs around town, we as humans have created an extremely healthy habitat for them. When people build homes, huge boulders are removed and dumped – this attracts rodents, birds and snakes,” explains Fanie.

Handle with care

They (rock monitor lizards) should be handled with great respect, as a bite is extremely painful. They are not venomous but have nasty bacteria from feeding on rodents.

They have a huge head and the muscles around their jaws are extremely strong – a bite could crush a finger! When they bite onto their victim, they don’t let go and then they shake their head left and right, allowing the teeth to cut into flesh. So don’t get bitten! They can also use their long tails as a whip to defend themselves. The tail cannot break skin or bone, but being whacked by it is extremely painful.

Leave them alone

They should be left alone – should you encounter one, please feel free to contact NKR Snake Removal on 0798388567 for removal, as they are a protected species. Varanus albigularis (white-throated or rock monitor) is a protected species in South Africa under the Threatened or Protected Species (TOPS) list, and all monitor lizards are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

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