'Elusive' monitor lizard on the loose is back in Mass. after recently seen in Conn.
Goose, a five-foot-long water monitor lizard that escaped his home weeks ago and was recently spotted in Connecticut , has returned to the Bay State, Massachusetts Environmental Police said after they received a call on Wednesday.
Officers went to the area where Goose was seen, but they could not find him, Environmental Police said in a statement on Thursday.
"We are working closely with reptile experts, Rain Forest Reptiles, to help us locate and capture the animal," the statement added.
The illegally owned reptile escaped the home in Webster on July 18, prompting Webster Animal Control to conduct a search of the area off Upper Gore Road. Officers called off the search and asked for the public's help in finding Goose.
Webster Police Deputy Chief Gordon Wentworth told MassLive that the lizard was "very elusive."
Then, on July 25, Goose was spotted walking in the area of Little Pond on Wilsonville and Thompson roads in Thompson, Connecticut, about five miles south of Webster.
Environmental Police ask the public not to approach the lizard and not to try to capture it. Children and pets are to be kept away from potential hiding places, including brush, woodpiles and water edges.
"Water monitor lizards are illegal to possess in Massachusetts without a permit," Environmental Police stated. "This animal was being kept without proper authorization, and the Massachusetts Environmental Police are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding its possession and escape."
If anyone sees Goose, call Environmental Police at 800-632-8075 and press one, or call Webster Animal Control at 508-943-1212 ext. 1240.
More Local Animal Stories
Read the original article on MassLive .
