Culprit behind gator scare in Yeongju may have been giant lizard

Sightings of an alligator, which had startled a rural village in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, may have been sightings of a giant lizard, local authorities said Friday.

At around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, fire officials captured a 70-centimeter-long creature, identified as a savannah monitor lizard, on the premise of a factory in Hyucheon-dong in Yeongju. The species is native to Africa and can reach a maximum length of 1.3 meters, weighing up to 70 kilograms.

The creature was captured more than a month after local authorities began a massive search around a stream that encircles the city’s historic Museom Village after four farm workers from the Philippines and a local resident reported sightings of a purported alligator.

Even drones were mobilized to locate the alleged alligator, but to no avail.

While acknowledging the possibility of the giant lizard having been mistaken for an alligator, the city government is not yet letting down its guard.

An official at the city's environment office questioned a connection between the lizard and the sighted creature, saying "the lizard was captured 12 kilometers away from the reported alligator sighting."

At Museom Bridge, two security personnel are on duty not only to prevent swimming-related accidents but also to look out for the potential appearance of an alligator, the environment department said.

Currently, the captured giant lizard is under the custody of the city government but is expected to be handed over to the Korean Wildlife Center soon.

On Monday, the Yeongju Fire Station had a similar encounter with an alien species, catching a 1.5-meter-long snake at a container within a factory in Yeongju’s Jeokseo-dong. It was identified as a reticulated python native to South and Southeast Asia, a species known to grow up to at least to 4.8 meters in length, with some even exceeding 6 meters.

The snake was relocated to Zootopium, a local zoo in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.