| When you live in a regional area, there is a chance you might encounter things you do not see in a densely populated location. In Australia, poisonous snakes, spiders, and other types of unexpected creepy crawlies are relatively common. Ever encounter a Black Widow? I recall that while we were working on a car that was lifted during the training course at TAFE, there was an actual widow, and our instructor immediately grabbed an insect spray to ensure it was dead and then smashed it with his shoes.
This morning, before heading to a supply run in Baganga, a random thing happened. The workers reorganizing the backyard where the pile of lumber had been sitting for quite a while found something big. Locally, it is called a “Bayawak,” or a type of Monitor Lizard has been living other that pile of wood. |
Before leaving the house, one of the workers tied it with a straw rope to make sure the feisty little lizard wouldn’t go too far. A relative claims three of her chicks were missing for the last two days. This might be the one who was making rambling noises for the past weeks at night, while the four dogs were barking loudly at night.
Surprisingly, the scaly fella looks like he had too much to eat and was calmly being tied down and behaving. But don’t let this lizard fool you with its calm demeanor. It was unexpected to see something this big to even live under a pile of old lumber and not make noises. But it does alert the other animals in the backyard, the chickens and the dogs, that there was something that humans don’t bother to look at.
The Monitor Lizard has many types, and I’m not an expert to identify which one was found under a pile of lumber. This reminds me back in the day the old backyard from the house in Manila used to have a similar type of lizard. But this one is called a “Bubuli” or a Common Sun Skink, which is a smaller, agile, and fast-moving lizard.
Both lizards are native to the Philippines and other parts of Asia. But the Monitor Lizard is something to be careful of when you encounter one. It’s also related to the Komodo dragon, but it is an entirely different lizard altogether.
When we came back from the supply run in Baganga, I got to talk to the guy who caught the lizard and snapped more close-up photos where people in the area were staring the lizard in the face. The guy who worked in the backyard who tied up this scaly lizard is going to take him home as his pet.
Personally, all I can say is that the lizard doesn’t know he’s getting well fed to be the next festive meat in some fiesta, as some people in the regional places make them into a meal, and some claim it tastes like chicken.
Poor Monitor Lizard, but if there were wildlife conservatives nearby, this wouldn’t happen, as it is still a creature that needs to be taken care of, not as the next fiesta meal people would enjoy chowing down.
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