IT-S-VIRAL / Monitor lizard spotted at a house in Delhi, pic goes viral

New Delhi: This is an amazing image that has evoked tons of reactions among people. While some were surprised by the sight of a monitor lizard spotted around a house in Delhi, there were others who were a little uncomfortable too.

“Spotted at someone’s home in Delhi!!” senior police officer HGS Dhaliwal wrote while sharing the picture. It shows the huge reptile peeping at something from behind a wall. It immediately sparked a Twitter chatter.

The post, till now, has gathered over 5,500 likes and the numbers are only increasing. From making jokes to appreciating its beauty to being scared, people shared all sorts of comments on the post. Chances are you’ll relate to some of them too.

Spotted at someone’s home in Delhi!! pic.twitter.com/4HG9vMhQ7V

— HGS Dhaliwal (@hgsdhaliwalips) July 9, 2020

“Must be from the Chattarpur region near the Aravallis [biodiversity park]. They are pretty common in my native village which is also on the foothills of the Aravallis in Gurugram,” wrote a Twitter user.

“Yes. Chhatarpur area,” Dhaliwal replied, referring to the south Delhi locality surrounded by the Aravali mountain range.

“It is so scary,” wrote a Twitter user. “It is beautiful actually!” exclaimed another. “Wow! My favourite reptile,” tweeted an individual.

The monitor lizard is a protected species under India’s wildlife protection law but is often hunted illegally. Just last month, a tribal was arrested in Maharashtra’s Palghar for killing one. The offence is punishable with a seven-year jail term.Three years back, wildlife investigators from India and Britain had uncovered an international fraud in which dried penises of the endangered lizards were sold as a plant root regarded as a good luck charm and used in religious rituals.

Naturally shy, monitor lizards generally stay away from humans.

But as cities such as Delhi and Gurugram grew, humans encroached into their natural habitat. The Aravali range for one is home to a dozen odd species of reptiles.

Vaishali Rawat, who writes on nature and wildlife, tweeted there was no reason to be scared. Monitor Lizards are shy and slow and will not attack unprovoked. “If you see one, keep your distance, keep an exit door open & it will find its way out or call the local forest department/trusted wildlife rescuers. That’s it! Creating a ruckus makes the animal nervous,” she tweeted.