Crime & Safety
Lizard Captured By Yorkville Police After 10-Hour Standoff
The animal was able to evade capture for most of the day.
YORKVILLE, IL — A lizard on the loose was captured and returned to its owner after a long search Wednesday, Yorkville police said. Officers responded to a report of a "found animal" in the area of Cannonball Trail and Fairhaven Drive after a large monitor lizard was spotted near a storm drain. The three-foot monitor lizard was found basking in the sun in a drainage ditch, but retreated into the storm drain when an officer approached.
Due to the "territorial and aggressive nature of this type of animal," cops made the decision to try to safely remove the lizard from the 100-foot storm drain. But the pesky creature gave the cops a run for their money.
"Although numerous attempts to extract the lizard out of the drain throughout the day were made,
the lizard was able to stay in the drain," police said. "Multiple times, the lizard came within inches of the
openings only to reenter the storm drain and avoid capture."
Find out what's happening in Yorkvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
But persistence paid off.
"After all the failed attempts to extract the lizard, the last attempt was to block one side of the drain pipe and to set a live trap on the other side," police said Thursday afternoon. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)
Find out what's happening in Yorkvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Department of Natural Resources, Bristol-Kendall Fire Department and an animal specialist were called in to assist in the safe recovery of the animal. "Once all the excitement calmed down and most individuals were gone, the lizard emerged and was caught by the live trap," according to police.
The lizard wasn't hurt, and is now in the hands of a qualified zoologist, police said Thursday. The owner eventually did step forward to claim the wayward animal. It was determined that the lizard was legally owned in the State of Illinois and it did have appropriate housing, police said. No charges have been filed against the owner.
It's unknown how the lizard escaped, police said.
Photos via the Yorkville Police Department
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
