Tezpur, July 3, 2025 (Thursday): A large monitor lizard was safely rescued from a residential property in Ward No 19 on Thursday afternoon after frightened homeowners called for help from former Wildlife Warden. The incident occurred around 2 PM at the house of Utpol Nath, where residents discovered the massive reptile in a pit on their property. Scared by the unexpected visitor, the family locked themselves inside their home and immediately contacted Saurav Borkataky, a former Honorary Wildlife Warden of Sonitpur.
Borkataky quickly responded to the emergency call and rushed to the location to handle the situation. During the rescue operation, he noticed a strong smell of phenoyl (a chemical disinfectant) on the lizard, indicating it may have come into contact with cleaning chemicals. To ensure the animal’s safety, Borkataky gave the lizard a thorough bath with clean water before releasing it in a safe, natural habitat away from human settlement.
While talking to Tezpur Buzz, Borkataky said, “Monitor lizards are ecologically important as scavengers, predators, and regulators of prey populations. They play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance by consuming carrion, insects, rodents, and other small animals, and are also a food source for larger predators.”
The wildlife expert emphasized several key roles these reptiles play in nature, including scavenging and decomposition, pest control, food chain dynamics, and serving as ecosystem engineers. “They also eat decomposing bodies of small and big animals and keep the environment clean and smell free,” he added.
Borkataky stressed that monitor lizards generally pose no threat to humans and only become aggressive when defending themselves. However, he advised the public to maintain a safe distance if they encounter these animals, as their bite can carry harmful bacteria that may cause various diseases.
The successful rescue highlights the importance of contacting trained wildlife officials when encountering wild animals in residential areas, rather than attempting to handle the situation independently. The incident ended without injury to either humans or the animal, thanks to the quick response and expertise of the former wildlife warden.
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