A Colorado man has died after being bitten by his pet American lizard. If the venom proves to be the cause, deaths caused by this type of desert lizard would be rare.
Christopher Ward, 34, was rushed to the hospital on February 12th shortly after being bitten by one of his two pet Dozilla monsters. He was immediately placed on life support and died Friday, Lakewood Police Department spokesman John Romero announced Tuesday.
Officials with the Jefferson County Coroner's Office declined Tuesday to comment on Ward's death, including whether tests determined whether Ward died from pet poison or some other medical condition.
Ward's girlfriend handed over the lizard, named Winston, and another lizard, named Potato, to Lakewood Animal Control Officer Leesha Crookston and others the day after the bite.
According to Crookston's report, Ward's girlfriend told police that she “heard some different noises,” then went into the room and saw Winston firmly in Ward's hand. It is said that
She told Officer Ward that she “immediately began to experience symptoms, vomited several times, and eventually passed out and was unable to breathe,” the report said.
Ward was placed on life support at the hospital. Within days, doctors declared him brain dead.
According to an animal control officer's report, Ward's girlfriend told officers she bought Winston from a reptile show in Denver in October and Potato from a breeder in Arizona in November. The woman was told that Gila monsters are illegal in Lakewood, and she pleaded with officers to have them removed from her home as soon as possible, according to the report.
Officials working with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources sent the lizard to a reptile park outside Rapid City, South Dakota. Twenty-six spiders of various species were also taken from the home to a nearby animal shelter.
The American dogma is a venomous reptile that naturally occurs in parts of the southwestern United States and adjacent areas of Mexico. Bites can cause severe pain and cause fainting, but are usually not fatal.
