Oldtiger

My hobby for many years has been wild life photography and conservation so being able to work in very close proximity to animals has almost become second nature.

Ironically just a few weeks earlier I apprehended a young water monitor (about 18in long) on the doorstep. My better half remarked at the time, “I wonder where its mother is ?”.

Catching it wasn’t that difficult. I think it had just had a good feast on one of the local feral cats so it was somewhat docile. I did a touch of the late Steve Irwin and jumped onto its back clasping its mouth closed. My wife fetched the electrical insulating tape and bound its mouth and we then tied its hands/feet behind its back and covered its eyes with an old blanket to keep it calm.

The biggest task was getting it into, and out of the pickup. It weighed a ton. Releasing it was just the reverse of catching it, but with a very rapid exit on my part. It was totally un-phased by the whole event and just wandered off as though nothing had happened.

Better half is more into Gucci handbags .

Silver Fox

You must be tired by now then!

MSPeconomist

I hope that's outdoors, perhaps on a sort of porch, and not actually in your home.

transpac

Run Forrest, run.

invisible

Are you scared of lizards?

invisible

You just freaked out 95% of FT population. Cat-eating-lizard at doorstep.

Oldtiger

Sorry to all those FTs who are freaking out, but unfortunately it is a fact of nature.

One of the joys of living in semi rural Thailand.

invisible

I had a pleasure telling how I was catching leopard geckos in my kitchen to a friend and his wife. Wife is such freaked of lizards that once seeing ordinary gecko in garage caused her to lock up in bedroom (story happens in California) and she called her husband to come from work to ensure that there was no geck still in the garage.

I am going to show your photo next time I see them with specific description of water monitor's diet...

MSPeconomist

Yes, the five foot ones, although the little guys that are five inches or less I find charming when they scamper around the walls inside Paradors in Spain.

There seems to be a continuum starting with small geckoes and going up to Komodo dragons with monitor lizards in the middle. I guess I like my lizards either tiny or on handbags. I've never tasted them grilled and would prefer to avoid having them fir dinner.

invisible

They run really fast away from you when they see you. They are not there waiting for you to bite your ankles.

How about Tokay geckos?

Tchiowa

I fibbed a little. I took a bathroom break in July, 2014 for 15 minutes.