A 6-foot long lizard has been terrorizing a Florida family for weeks, crawling around in their backyard and evading capture. The monitor lizard has a deadly bite, and it's still on the loose in this Florida neighborhood. The close encounter, which was caught on video, showed the lizard stalking the home of Zach Leiberman. He says the lizard has been showing up around the house for the past three weeks. Experts from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, along with local professional trappers, have been attempting to corral the creature to no avail. "It's a large, potentially dangerous lizard," said one FWC official. "We want to make sure that we move it as soon as possible to minimize the impact it may have on human health and safety." These lizards are native to south and southeast Asia. The Leiberman's have two small children, and they say they worry about their safety. "I got a two-year-old and a four-year-old little boy and little girl," Zach said. "They're scared this thing is going to come back." While Zach has enjoyed the hunt, he says he's ready for life to return to normal. "Working with all the professional trappers has been kind of fun," he said. "But at the same time it's a sense of urgency." Some neighbors believe that the lizard may actually be someone's pet that lives nearby. Animal control authorities have not confirmed that.<doc-sep>Florida: not even once. America’s wang is at it again with terrifying wildlife that shouldn’t exist. This time a giant Asian water monitor lizard is running around some innocent person’s backyard in Davie, Florida. It’s six feet long and, according to experts, will definitely bite you if it feels like it, which is especially problematic because it’s the size of a large adult human and this particular homeowner has kids. Yeah, This is Terrifying! The lizard has evaded capture for multiple days. Even professional trappers have had no luck wrangling the thing. When people aren’t trying to capture it, however, the lizard appears to enjoy walking right up to the family’s sliding glass door, almost definitely because of the delicious smelling children behind them, because Florida. The Asian water monitor is an invasive species to the state. Like most of the gross, stupid wildlife in Florida, they were once pets that were set free into the swampy wilderness during meth house raids and common law divorces that involved throwing the items of one’s partner out the window of the couple’s shared and potentially mobile domicile. Asian Water Monitor The lizard has yet to be caught but at this point it might just be cheaper and easier for the homeowners — Maria and Zach Lieberman — to take the thing down themselves. There’s no reason to capture it. It’s invasive. It’s almost certain at least one of their neighbors have a weird cache of weapons they could borrow to off this thing. Katanas, 3D printed assault rifles, a knockoff Elon Musk flamethrower, some sort of crossbow but it shoots kitchen knives. Whatever. This is Florida! Somebody’s got something. And why shouldn’t they be armed like lunatics? Look at the type of shit they deal with down there. Monster pythons are killing everything. How long before exotic pet owning Florida morons start releasing chimpanzees they can no longer care for — and have also given a taste for meat because they only fed them hamburgers and gas station chicharrones — into the wild? That is a believable Florida outcome and you know it. That’s how the real Planet of the Apes is going to start. Monkeys owned as exotic pets in Florida being released into the wild by their aging owners and conquering the state. Advertisement This freakin’ state. This story was originally published on August 29, 2018.<doc-sep>Monitor lizards are not native to Florida, but there are breeding populations of Nile monitors (Varanus niloticus) established in several counties, and they have been sighted across the state. A Florida family is afraid to use their swimming pool — and with good reason. Earlier this week, the family spotted a giant monitor lizard the size of an adult human lurking on their property. The Lieberman family in Davie, Florida, discovered the uninvited visitor roaming around their backyard, Miami-Dade's Local 10 News ABC reported on Aug. 29. Parents Zack and Maria Lieberman told reporters that the lizard was so big, they feared for the safety of their two young children. [See The World's Most Bizarre Lizards] The enormous reptile — which was identified as an Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator) — measures approximately 6 feet (2 meters) long, according to Local 10 News. Over several days, the scaly invader made repeated appearances near the Lieberman home, but has thus far managed to evade capture by local trappers and wildlife authorities, the Miami Herald reported. On Aug. 29, a neighbor visited the Liebermans, claiming that the lizard was an escaped pet, the family told Local 10 News. But because the lizard had not been reported as missing, anyone with a permit could trap it, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) told 7 News Miami. A dog working with the trappers briefly detected a scent that led searchers to a promising-looking burrow, but the hole turned out to be empty, according to the Miami Herald. Massive invaders Monitor lizards in the genus Varanus are a group of predatory reptiles with long necks, forked tongues, and muscular tails and bodies. They are native to Asia, Africa and Oceania, though some have become established in the Americas as an invasive species. The genus includes the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), which is the world's biggest lizard, capable of growing up to 10 feet (3 m) in length. Fortunately for Floridians, Komodo dragons are found only in the island habitats of Indonesia, but a number of its monitor cousins have made Florida their home, after they were brought to the U.S. as exotic pets and escaped or were released into the wild. Monitor species found in Florida include crocodile monitors, water monitors, savannah monitors, peach-throated monitors and two species of black-throated monitors, according to the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. Another monitor species, the semiaquatic Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus), is the most persistent and problematic of these reptilian invaders, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reported. Meanwhile, the hunt for the wayward Asian water monitor continues. Alongside the FWC, Mike "Trapper Mike" Kimmel, a wildlife trapper with Martin County Wildlife Trappers and Removals, is on the lookout for the elusive lizard, trying to lure it with chicken thighs, 7 News Miami reported. Original article on Live Science.<doc-sep>“He is the size of a baby alligator and even then, I would be less afraid of an alligator than him.” That’s how Zachary Lieberman describes the six-foot long Asian water monitor that’s been stalking the grounds of his Davie, Florida, home since Sunday, eluding the grasp of seasoned trappers. Lieberman’s wife, Maria, first spotted the scaly beast on their pool deck, where it was staring straight at her through their sliding glass door and flicking its tongue. She captured a video of the prehistoric-looking reptile slinking towards the pool, then called the authorities. “Since it’s been in our backyard my wife is scared to go in the pool,” Zachary Lieberman told The Daily Beast. “This thing can come out of the bushes and eat our small children as food. We just want it out of our environment so we can go back to our lives.” For almost five days now, experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation—along with local professional trappers and hunting dogs—have been trying to catch the 100-pound lizard. But the crafty creature has repeatedly thwarted their attempts, slipping away when they get close. “Yesterday, we brought out hunting dogs and we were able to track his scent to a hole in the forest behind my house, but he was not there,” Lieberman said. “We finally got eyes on him near the water, but he took off running and bee-lined to the lake and swam away.” Experts warn that these lizards, which are native to South and Southeast Asia, can bite, especially small children. While they’re not venomous, their mouths are riddled with bacteria. “Asian water monitors kind of look like Komodo dragons,” Mike Kimmel, the owner of Martin County Trappings and Removals, told The Daily Beast. “It is not a Komodo dragon, but that’s the closest comparison.” The hulking reptile has been terrorizing the Lieberman home ever since it escaped from a property in the neighborhood. While Asian water monitors are considered invasive by wildlife experts, it’s also legal for Florida residents to keep them as pets. “The owner was a 14-year-old kid who originally said they had like three of them, but now we know they only have this one,” said Kimmel, who attempted to trap the creature on Tuesday. “He said they keep it in their backyard in their pool.” After the story of the escaped lizard made the news, the animal’s owners, who could not be reached for comment, tried to retrieve their pet from Lieberman’s property but were unsuccessful. “There is a large community of exotic pet owners in Florida,” said Lieberman. “It is unfortunate because some animals get too big the owners release them into the wild and these species should not be in Florida.” Once captured, the Asian water monitor will likely be placed in a secure facility in the area. “[The owners] have proved not to be responsible for the animal, and I will make sure it will be put in a proper facility that can house its size,” Kimmel added. Kimmel, who has worked as a professional trapper for five years and is currently trapping pythons in the Everglades, said rain prevented him from even getting a look at the lizard when he attempted to trap it on Tuesday. “I really wanted to get involved because the FWC was going to euthanize it,” he said. “I know plenty of facilities that would give it a good home. I have a facility that could house the lizard, but I would probably give it away because it’s too big.” While Kimmel was unsuccessful at corralling the Asian monitor, he did relieve the Davie community of another large animal: a cane toad. “Got this monster of an invasive cane toad while hunting down a 6ft monitor in Davie,” Kimmel wrote in a Facebook post. “Wish me luck y’all this lizard I’m tracking is HUGE!” For now, the Lieberman family’s backyard is like a scene from a creature feature, but Lieberman remains hopeful the reptile will be captured soon so his young children, ages 2 and 4, can frolic in the pool again. “Today seems like a good day,” he said Thursday. “The sun is out and the weather is cooperating. He likes to be out in the sun, and we are hoping today we can catch him.” The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation could not be reached for comment.<doc-sep>
DAVIE, FL (WPLG/CNN) - A huge six-foot lizard is roaming a Florida neighborhood. It can pose a danger to children and pets, and trappers are trying to find it. The massive lizard, known as a water monitor, has been frequenting a Davie home for at least three weeks. Trappers have been out in full force leaving cages behind, so that they can capture the animal. The Lieberman family found the beast of a lizard making its rounds on their property. "My wife screams and I thought it was the kids, but wait a minute the kids are right here,” homeowner Zack Lieberman said. “She's like, 'It's back!’ And I'm like, 'What's back?'" The lizard is not native to Florida - usually it’s found in Asia - and this particular one is about six feet in length and two and a half feet wide. The Liebermans first saw the water monitor in their backyard nearly three weeks ago. Then it came around again on Sunday. "This time he was right up against our glass,” Lieberman said. The Liebermans have two small kids and worry about their safety. Since the lizard was spotted, playing outside has been out of the question. "They swim, it's a water monitor so he can swim fast, he can run fast and he can get a hold of the kids fast, so one bite for them and it could be pretty devastating,” Lieberman said. Some neighbors believe that the lizard may actually be someone's pet that lives nearby. Animal control authorities have not confirmed that. They're looking into it and who it may belong to. Copyright 2018 WPLG via CNN. All rights reserved.