Originally published 2021-04-14.
This amazing video has captured a sight many didn't expect on their trip to the shops, a giant lizard rampaging through a supermarket and pulling down products.
The video was taken by bystanders in a supermarket in Thailand and show a huge wild monitor lizard causing chaos. It was initially filmed walking through the aisles of the shops and then climbing on products.
In the video, a bystander can be heard saying:
"The shelves are ruined! Oh my God."
(The video originally embedded here is no longer available on YouTube.)
Neither bystanders nor shop staff felt safe to approach the lizard, though it was later removed by authorities. It will now be placed back into the wild.
The lizard, which was believed to be around 8 feet long, from the monitor family are a common sight in Thailand, and they have been increasingly encroaching on human settlements, including major cities, as they look for food and scraps.
The Asian water monitor, the species commonly seen in Thai cities, is widely considered the second largest lizard in the world; the largest is the Komodo dragon, which is itself a monitor lizard (Varanus komodoensis). While monitor lizards are not dangerous to adult humans, they can still administer a very painful and vicious bite.
There are around 80 species of monitor lizard in the world, and they are found in Asia, Africa and Oceania. They range from 20cm in length, to the giant 10 foot long Komodo Dragon. Most of the lizards are carnivorous, meaning they eat rodents, animals and eggs, though some also eat fruit and vegetation.
While monitor lizard populations are declining worldwide, not all species are endangered: the Asian water monitor is listed as Least Concern, while the Komodo dragon is classed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Sadly, many are also killed for their skin, which is used to make ornaments, purses and clothing.
[h/t: India Times]
Large size does not identify every species
Monitor lizards are a group with varied sizes and conservation statuses; the Komodo dragon is itself a monitor lizard. The estimated length of the animal in this clip is not a measurement. A precise account can describe its climb and the disruption it caused without making claims about all monitors from one shop encounter.
Space is a better response than a crowd
The reported involvement of authorities is an important part of the ending. A large frightened animal in a confined shop should not be treated as harmless because it is not hunting people. Keeping a distance allows trained responders to work and avoids turning a surprising encounter into a contest to obtain the closest photograph.
Where it happened
The video was recorded by shopper Narumpa Tangsin in a 7-Eleven store in Nakhon Pathom, near Bangkok, and spread in early April 2021. News reports estimated the Asian water monitor at about 1.8 metres (6 feet), shorter than the 8 feet mentioned above. A store employee called the police, who brought in reptile handlers; they caught the lizard and released it back into the wild. Adult Asian water monitors rarely exceed 1.5 to 2 metres, although the largest recorded individual, from Sri Lanka, measured 3.21 metres.
Sources: SCMP Young Post, April 2021: Godzilla vs. 7-Eleven: Giant lizard in Thailand climbs supermarket shelves Asian water monitor (Wikipedia)
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