‘We're terrified': 3-foot lizard spotted outside Bowie home

A Prince George’s County family is shaken up after they say a huge lizard is roaming around their yard and even sunning on their front steps.

Photos show what’s identified as an Asian water monitor.

“It showed up about a week ago, and it’s big. It’s about 3 and a half feet long, and we’re terrified,” homeowner Keshia Trafton said.

The Traftons first spotted the lizard on their doorstep.

“My husband actually called me to the door because he was going out to get an Amazon package, and the lizard was lying on top of my Amazon package,” Trafton said. “I saw it as I was coming to the door, but once we had tried to approach the door, it ran.”

Since then, the reptile has established a routine, Trafton said, emerging from the bushes when the temperature is warm. It often makes stops on the family’s front steps and on a pillar of their house.

“I was really hoping that it’s not making my home its home – one, because I have animals. I have two small Pomeranians. I’m always concerned about them as well,” Trafton said.

She said she set up humane traps to try to lure the reptile away, but no luck. She reached out to county animal control officials for help and said at first they said they wouldn’t come out.

News4’s cameras were rolling as officers searched the Traftons’ yard on Thursday, looking for the lizard but not finding it.

Monitor lizards are not considered dangerous animals under Maryland law, the state Department of Natural Resources said. A state permit is not required for owning one.

Some local jurisdictions, including Prince George’s County, have rules regarding exotic animals. Maryland law lists animals considered exotic that can be possessed with a permit.

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While the lizard slipped away on Thursday, animal control said they plan to return to the home to safely remove the reptile. It’s a move the Traftons would love to see soon.

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