A reptile hunt was launched in Glasgow after a three-foot lizard escaped from its home in 1994.
Police started the search after the animal made a break for freedom from Cardowan Road, with the lizard thought to be roaming the East End. Its owner, David Lavery, said the monitor lizard was unnamed.
On September 22 1994, the Aberdeen Evening Express told readers: “Experts say the lizard is likely to try to dig a hole to keep warm.
“However, they have warned it can run as fast as a dog and can deliver a nasty bite. It could also injure anyone who approached it with a swing of its tail.”
According to reports, it was unlikely that someone would be surprised by the animal due its strong and distinctive smell. A spokesman for Strathclyde Police said: “We don’t think it will be necessary to issue an E-fit for this particular suspect.
“I am sure there are not many three-foot lizards walking around the East End of Glasgow.”
Experts from Glasgow’s Calderpark Zoo had informed officers of the animal’s habits and mannerisms, and warned that the escape was no laughing matter. A spokesman for the zoo said: “It is unlikely to survive, they are from Central and South Africa and are unlikely to function for long in low temperatures.”
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Police asked locals to contact them if they saw the reptile, which usually survived on a diet of rats and mice. No reports were made, with the animal assumed to be dead.
The event concluded with no fatalities, which is a likely situation when it comes to monitor lizards. In 2002, one man met an unfortunate end with the reptiles.
Ronald Huff, a 42-year-old lizard enthusiast, lived in a Delaware flat with not just one - but six lizards. Ronald trusted his pets a bit too much, and allowed them to move around his home freely.
His neighbour, noticing a strange smell wafting from Ronald’s flat, alerted police. When officers arrived, they found the monitor lizards walking around the man's devoured corpse.
To this day, it's unclear whether Ronald died first and was eaten later - or if the animals attacked him. A County Sheriff spokesman said: “When they were finally able to get into the apartment they discovered Mr Huff’s body slumped against the door.
“The largest of the monitor lizards actually did have stained blood about his face and neck so we do know he was in fact chewing on the victim.
Shockingly, the unnamed lizard isn’t the most outlandish story of animal escapees to hit Glasgow. In 1949, Sheila the tiger escaped from her enclosure at the Calderpark Zoo.
The female Bengal approached a group of Brownies visiting the zoo, much to their terror. Zoo Director Sydney Benson made the decision to shoot her dead.
