SHOULD PEOPLE BE CONCERNED?
Dr Lum said that monitor lizards – like most wild animals – may try to defend themselves if they are cornered and feel threatened, but will “gladly” choose an escape route if there is one.
While they do not pose any danger, how humans react to them and the possibility of encounters with monitor lizards turning ugly is a reason for concern, he added.
“Even if a monitor lizard walks into a flat, it would pose little to no danger to its occupants. But they can give people an almighty fright,” Dr Lum said.
“I can imagine some people being very scared by a monitor lizard – they can easily surpass a meter from nose to tip of the tail – especially if they turn up outside your door.”
Mr Kannan agreed that monitor lizards do not pose any harm if people keep a “safe and respectful distance”.
Nevertheless, he expressed concerns that interactions with monitor lizards, such as the Bedok North one, stem from “increasing detrimental pressures on local wildlife”.
WHAT TO DO
People who come across a monitor lizard should keep a distance, allow space for it to move or leave and make sure others do not attack it.
“If the monitor is in a space where it can’t leave or it’s too far from any kind of natural habitat, do alert the relevant authorities or organisations who’d help with proper relocation of the monitor,” Mr Kannan from ACRES added.