Goose the lizard’s adventure comes to end, heads to new home at Mass. reptile sanctuary

By Veronica Haynes

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    WEBSTER, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A 5-foot-long water monitor lizard named Goose that escaped from his home in Webster, Massachusetts, is headed off to live at a reptile sanctuary after his two-week adventure on the loose came to an end this weekend.

On Monday, officials said he was found Saturday in a wooded area just north of the Connecticut border in Douglas. He appears to be in good health, but will undergo an exam later this week.

Police first learned that the lizard escaped through a Webster window on July 18. Despite a few confirmed sightings, the animal remained at large for weeks.

“We wanted to find this animal quickly. They are a very, very temperature sensitive animal,” said Massachusetts Environmental Police Capt. Scott Amati.

After another sighting last week, officials zeroed in on a wooded area off SW Main Street in Douglas, and searchers tried luring the animal out with eggs and raw chicken. On Saturday, Goose was spotted sunning himself about 10-15 feet from the road by rangers from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, and teams were finally able to capture him after he went into a small cavern under a tree root.

“I took a look in there and there was a tongue sticking out at me,” Amati said.

“The only reason we were able to find it is because it came out to sun itself by the asphalt to get warm. Just like a turtle. Just like a snake,” Amati said.

Goose is expected to now live at Rainforest Reptile Shows, a nonprofit animal sanctuary on the Massachusetts North Shore, where he will receive expert care and a specially designed permanent habitat.

“He was very hungry when he first came into our care. We offered him a lot of meat products and things like that. And he immediately took them. If he did defecate on (the capturing) officer, he most likely probably did have some food items when he was out and about,” said Mack Ralbovsky of Rainforest Reptile Shows.

Goose will be in quarantine for about six weeks before moving into his new habitat.

Goose’s former owner was issued two non-criminal citations for having the animal, which is illegal to have as a pet in Massachusetts without a special permit. One citation is for owning the animal and the other is for importing it from New Hampshire without a permit.

This type of lizard is native to South and Southeast Asia. They feed on invertebrates, carrion and smaller vertebrates. They can grow to about 8 feet and can live for more than 10 years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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