news.cenet.topWatch: Massachusetts authorities share video of water monitor capture

[Desmond Milligan 0]

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Massachusetts Environmental Police shared video from the capture of Goose, the 5-foot water monitor lizard who spent nearly two weeks on the loose.

Police said on social media that Goose was finally tracked Saturday to the area of Southwest Main Street in Douglas, and the lizard fled into a hole under a tree when officers arrived.

"After several sneaky escape attempts and a lot of dirt, two strategic pieces of chicken were placed near the hole as bait," the post said. "Goose couldn't resist."

The video shows rescuers using catch poles to wrangle the wayward reptile.

"After a short but mighty tug-of-war with a very strong lizard, Goose was safely secured and placed into a container," officials wrote.

Goose, who escaped from a Webster home through a second-story window July 18, is now being cared for by Rainforest Reptile Shows' Oasis Foundation, a nonprofit specialist organization that assisted with the search for the lizard.

The group said Goose, who was an illegal pet, will have a new permanent home with the foundation.

The lizard had previously been spotted in the Little Pond area of Thompson, Conn., about 5 miles from Webster, on July 25. Massachusetts Environmental Police later confirmed he had been seen back across the state border, in Douglas.

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