A 5-foot-long water monitor lizard named Goose has been captured in Massachusetts after leading authorities on a 2-week chase through two states.
Goose, who escaped from a Webster home through a second-story window July 18, was captured Saturday and turned over into the custody of Rainforest Reptile Shows’ Oasis Foundation, a nonprofit specialist organization that assisted with the search for the lizard.
The lizard had been spotted in the Little Pond area of Thompson, Conn., about 5 miles from Webster, on July 25. Massachusetts Environmental Police later confirmed he had been seen back across the state border, in Douglas.
Water monitor lizards are not legal to keep as pets in Massachusetts without special permits, and authorities said his previous owners did not hold the required paperwork.
Details of Goose’s capture were not made public, but Rainforest Reptile Shows said he was taken into custody “safely” and will “receive expert care and a specially designed permanent habitat.”
