What to do with a lizard found in Midland

The animal was found on August 11th in the backyard of a residence

The Town of Midland is still determining what to do with a monitor lizard found in the backyard of a residence.

The animal, found on August 11th, was rounded up by Huronia Animal Control and the OPP.

The monitor lizard is similar to a Komodo dragon; They vary in size and eat anything from plants to deer.

In an email the Town updates where they’re at in terms of a decision of what to do with the animal

“Our investigation involves fully identifying the exact species of lizard this is, so that the level of risk involved with having this as a pet, and if it escapes, can be properly assessed.” 

Randy Fee, Communications and Marketing Coordinator with the Town of Midland

“To this point, the owner of the lizard has been very cooperative, and efforts are currently being made to re-home the lizard to an accredited facility that is able to care for this type of animal long-term. There is no timeline for that to be accomplished at this point, but our Municipal Law Enforcement Officer and our Animal Control Officer are hoping to resolve the matter this week, but there is no guarantee that will happen.

 

OTHER FACTS

  • Town of Midland Animal Control by-law prohibits people from owning Squamata, which is the order of reptile lizards belong to (as do snakes). The only exception to that are gecko lizards. They’re permitted to be kept as pets.
  • Minimum fine for the contravening the by-law starts at $125 and can go up to $100,000 as well as $10,000 per offence, for continuous/repeated offences.
  • Town discourages people from keeping animals like these as pets, and strongly encourages anyone thinking of getting a pet to read the by-law, so they understand what animals are permitted, and how many of them they can have