(ProsperNews.net) – A Colorado man has died after one of his exotic pets bit him. The Lakewood Police Department confirmed it received an emergency call from Madeline Sutton on February 12, who told them a Gila monster had bitten her boyfriend Christopher Ward at his home. The lizard, named Winston, was one of two of the potentially lethal animals Ward kept in his house, and Sutton found him struggling on the floor with one of them “latched onto” his hand.
After he began vomiting, Ms. Sutton called paramedics, who took Ward to the hospital, where he remained for four days before succumbing to the toxic bite. Lakewood Animal Control officers took the two animals to a wildlife facility in South Dakota.
Inside Mr. Ward’s home, officials found and removed 26 species of spider, some deadly.
Gila monsters, or Heloderma suspectum, are lizards native to the Southwestern US and parts of Mexico. Adults are around 20 inches long, and black and orange skin with a bumpy texture characterizes the creatures. Scientists say it is a quiet and shy animal, but its unusual appearance makes it popular among collectors of exotic animals. Its bite is toxic but rarely deadly, experts say. Nevertheless, it delivers one of the more painful animal bites, and no antivenom is available to counter its effects.
Arizona State University veterinarian Dale DeNardo said a Gila monster bite is “like slamming your hand in a car door,” and the pain is partly due to the grooved nature of the creature’s teeth, which give it a tight grip. The pain can last for an hour and is accompanied by vomiting and swelling.
Owning Gila monsters as pets is legal in 27 states, but only with a permit. Twelve states, including Oregon and Illinois, ban domestic ownership of the animals, and it is legal without a license in nine states. A permit is required in all states that serve as natural homes to the lizards.
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