A MASSIVE lizard is on the loose in Italy sparking a major search operation for the aggressive beast.
The Papuan monitor – native to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea – was spotted over 7,000 miles away from home in Montichiari, a town near Brescia in Northern Italy.
The Papuan monitor spotted in the northern Italian town of Montichiari, near Brescia Credit: Youtube
A local farmhand took a photograph of the 5ft lizard on July 17, prompting a major search operation that has kept locals fearful for a month.
It is one of the longest lizards in the world growing up to 8ft in length and can weigh up to 90kg.
These “aggressive eaters” will devour anything, and even need a “full room” of space when they become adult-sized if they are kept in captivity, according to Chicago’s Exotic Animals Hospital.
Tracking the lizard involves the flying of kitted out with thermal cameras and night vision.
Authorities have also set up two cage traps filled with chicken to lure the beast into capture.
There were three reported sightings in the span of a fortnight.
Marco Togni, the mayor of Montichiari, told The Times : “I didn’t initially believe it could be true.
“But we have now verified the image and we can say that it’s absolutely real.”
The town’s council has also banned residents from walking and in the area where it was seen, even telling farm hands to shut their cabin doors.
The Papuan monitors have instilled fear in local New Guinea tribes as being an ‘evil spirit’ that walk upright and kill men Credit: Alamy
Papuan dragon needs a ‘full room of space’ once it reaches adult size Credit: Alamy
Papuan monitors, a relative of the Komodo dragon, have powerful razor-sharp claws making them extremely adept at climbing trees.
They can become aggressive when they are frightened or cornered, and even inflict venomous bites.
Their diet consists of feeding on things as small as eggs, rats, to bigger meals such as pigs, deer, and hunting .
In New Guinea, local tribes believe that these lizards are evil spirits that “climb trees, walk upright, breathe fire, and kill men.”
However, it is not known to prey on humans despite the beast being carnivorous.
Social media has made the Mayor into a star with users posting AI-generated videos of a wildlife ranger chasing the lizard along a swimming pool.
Another spoof can see the ranger controlling a DJ set with the beast belting a dedicated song to the Mayor’s campaign, Beware of the Lizard.
He even posted these memes on his own social media page.
Togni said: “It’s a lot of fun and I showed support with a bit of humour, but it’s important to also maintain an official tone.
“The situation afflicting this town is serious.”
How the lizard travelled to the Italian countryside from that part of the world has left Mayor Togni scratching his head.
A suggestion could be that a resident must have been harbouring the monster illegally.
He said: “We don’t know how it got here.”
“It either escaped or was abandoned.”
Keeping and taming the Papuan monitor in is illegal and it is also protected, which means you cannot kill it.
The hunt so far has remained unsuccessful with the venomous lizard still at large in the wild.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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