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Published on January 30, 2008

Veterinarian Alongkorn Mahannop from the Royal Household Bureau said the water monitor population was estimated at 200 per district last year.

The vicinity around the Padungkrungkasem Canal, Government House, Parliament House, Suan Dusit Rajabhat University and Suan Sunantha was home to the most lizards at over 100 because of the sewage system connecting all areas and the many roads that had subsided due to hollow spaces underneath, he said.

Samart Sumanochitraporn, director of the department's wildlife conservation office, said the department was discussing the promotion of commercial water monitor farms but ministerial regulations needed amending first.

The lizard is listed in Appendix II of species protected by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna). This category covers fauna that, although not necessarily threatened with extinction, might become endangered unless trade is strictly regulated to avoid utilisation incompatible with their survival.

An expert from the National Science Museum is helping to survey the spread of the lizards, which commonly grow to around 1.5 metres, and study their behaviour for future control measures.

Samart said he did not want the reptiles to be raised for their meat or hides like crocodiles but just enough to help ease the overpopulation, which started becoming a problem after the water monitor was announced as protected in 1992.

Samart suggested having an island to keep all the city water monitors and awarding concessions to people to collect the eggs, which he believed could be sold for Bt2 each in the Northeast.

National Science Museum expert Thanya Jan-art said he was studying if the animal was poisonous.

According to popular belief, since they eat rotting flesh, their saliva has many bacteria, so if they bite someone the wound could fester.

Sopon Damnui, director of the Zoological Park Organisa-tion, said Dusit Zoo had 40 to 50 water monitors roaming about but they were not considered too many because they helped get rid of decomposed remains.

He urged people not to attack the animals because they are peaceful and often afraid of humans.

Janjira Pongrai

 The Nation