Monitor lizard rescued in Thailand
Images adapted from: สาวิตรี สวยสม หนู, สาวิตรี สวยสม หนู
Is this monitor lizard a cat? Because he’s definitely got 9 lives.
In September, a woman in Angthong named Sawitri posted a video on her Facebook, showing a monitor lizard with his head stuck in a long aluminium can. She tried to get the can out of the poor guy’s head with a stick, but he was quick to retreat into the villager’s plantation.
Image credit: สาวิตรี สวยสม หนู
The next day, Ms. Sawitri called for the local animal rescue team to look for the animal. They scoured the area for 3 days but found nothing. This led to them giving up on the mission and were left to believe that the monitor lizard would starve to death.
For more inspiring animal rescue stories, check these articles out:
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Resurfaced a month later
On 5th October 2019, Ms. Sawitri updated on her Facebook that another villager in the neighbourhood found a lizard and his head was still stuck in the very same can. She recognised it as the same lizard she’d seen a month prior.
The woman then called her husband for help. He was quick to catch the poor monitor lizard and pulled a can off his head – hooray!
The man gently restrained the monitor lizard with his foot to take the can off – nobody got hurt here
Images adapted from: สาวิตรี สวยสม หนู
The woman speculated that the monitor lizard was alive because he was able to drink water that had been leaking into the can every time it rained. She also added that he looked much thinner than what she saw in the news before.
Not every animal will be this lucky
Fortunately, this buddy made it out alive, but many other animals are suffering from consuming plastic or get strangled by wires. So think twice when you’re about to litter. Always throw your garbage in a bin.
If you come across an animal in trouble, you can dial the police hotline, 191, for further assistance.
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