Illinois: Ten-hour standoff between cops, 3-foot lizard ends peacefully

ILLINOIS -- A 3-foot pet lizard held authorities at bay for more than 10 hours Wednesday after it holed up in a storm drain in Yorkville.

By the time the 6-year-old female lizard was finally secure, it was about 9 p.m., said Yorkville police Deputy Chief Terry Klingel.

Yorkville police responded to a "found animal" report at 10:36 a.m. Wednesday near Cannonball Trail and Fairhaven Drive.

The monitor lizard, which has not been named, had been in a drainage ditch "basking in the sun," police said in a statement.

When an officer saw the lizard, it immediately retreated into a storm drain, police said.

Considering the "possible territorial and aggressive nature" of the animal, and how close it was to residential homes, authorities decided they should to try to get it out of the drain safely, according to a news release from the Police Department.

Monitor lizards typically live on islands in the southwest Pacific, Australia, Africa south of the Sahara, and south and southeast Asia, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Monitors include 50 species that can range from 8 inches to 10 feet long, and most are carnivorous, according to the encyclopedia.

Klingel said he had no clue about the monitor's species.

Officials with the Department of Natural Resources, Kendall County Animal Control and the Bristol Kendall Fire Department became involved, making what police described as "numerous attempts to extract the lizard" as the day wore on.

"Multiple times, the lizard came within inches of the openings only to re-enter the storm drain and avoid capture," police stated.

Following a series of failed attempts, the team tried a new strategy, blocking off one side of the drain pipe and setting a live trap on the other side, police stated.

Meanwhile, as many as 30 people had gathered to watch the activity, Klingel said.

"Once all the excitement calmed down and most individuals were gone, the lizard emerged," police said in the statement.

The live trap caught the lizard without hurting it, police said.

A qualified zoologist cared for the lizard until its owner showed up, reportedly unaware of how it got away, according to the statement.

Authorities determined the lizard was legally owned and appropriately housed in Illinois. Police said no charges had been filed against the owner, and the investigation is ongoing.

Laura Pawson, director of Kendall County Animal Control, said during her time on scene, she barely caught a glimpse of the lizard when its head peeked out from the drain.

Animal Control doesn't deal with lizards much, and handling this one involved a lot of brainstorming among the agencies who responded, Pawson said. They considered some kind of trap early on, but worked out other ideas while waiting on equipment, she said.

"It was more about trying to be patient, trying to wait for (it) to pop (its) little head up and see if we could possibly maybe get (it) with a catch pole," Pawson said.

Though the situation was unusual, it wasn't stressful and turned out to be a good learning experience, Pawson said. She said there is certainly one thing she learned from the situation.

"I guess there is no quick way to get something out of a drain if it doesn't want to come out," Pawson said.

(Chicago Tribune - August 31, 2017)