Webster, Massachusetts police say they found escaped 5-foot-long lizard after 2-week search under tree roots
Police revealed that Goose, the five-foot-long water monitor lizard who escaped a home in Webster, Massachusetts, two weeks ago, was difficult to find because it had been hiding under tree roots, around two miles from its home.
The lizard became a local sensation as it wandered from town to town on a two-week odyssey around central Massachusetts and Connecticut. He now has a new home at Rainforest Reptile Shows Oasis, a non-profit animal sanctuary.
Goose was being kept illegally as a pet at a home on Blueberry Lane in Webster before he leapt out of a second-floor window on Friday, July 18 while someone was housesitting. The Massachusetts Environmental Police said that the owners didn't have a permit for the lizard, but it was very well taken care of, according to Captain Scott Amati. He explained that the owner of the animal was trying to work on rehabilitating the reptile, which they had transported from New Hampshire.
The owner was cited with two non-criminal charges for possessing the animal and not having an importation permit.
How the water monitor lizard was caught
Goose was first spotted a week after it went missing, on July 25, about five miles away in Thompson, Connecticut. Goose walked away and wasn't seen again until July 30 in Douglas, Massachusetts, about 13 miles north of Thompson.
Amati said that his team searched for the animal and located it several times when it would warm itself up on the asphalt, but were unable to catch it.
He was finally captured on Saturday off of Southwest Main Street in Douglas, according to Amati. Two members of the Department of Conservation and Recreation were the ones to locate the reptile.
"The reason we couldn't find it for several days was that it actually went under a root in a tree," Amati explained. He said that they attempted to lure the lizard out using hard-boiled eggs, but he wouldn't budge from his spot. It wasn't until they used pieces of chicken that they were able to capture the animal using catch-poles.
"Very strong animal for its size. Fairly well behaved all things considered," Amati said. He explained that they then placed Goose into a container and contacted Rainforest Reptile Shows.
No one was hurt while capturing Goose, Amati said at the news conference.
However, the lizard had been previously injured while living with a different person. Amati said that their investigation revealed that the lizard had gotten stuck under something at one point and was injured. He noted that Goose was not injured while on the run or while living in Webster. Goose was extremely hungry after being outside for so long, according to a Rainforest Reptile Shows specialist.
Water monitor lizards are not typically dangerous to humans, dogs, or cats and they like to climb trees. There were no reports of any dangerous interactions with Goose while he was on the run.
What will happen to the lizard?
Goose will have a veterinary appointment on Tuesday to evaluate his health. He will then return to the sanctuary, where he will be quarantined for six weeks. Goose will have its own special enclosure.
The president of Rainforest Reptile Shows, Joan Gallagher, said that in a few weeks' time, they will evaluate whether or not the public will be able to view Goose.
Rainforest Reptile Shows said it will post updates about Goose on Facebook.