A large monitor lizard of a rare species has been released after five days in captivity at a farmer's home in Dhunat upazila of Bogura.

Abdur Razzak Nasim, executive director of Swadhin Jiban, a voluntary organisation working on biodiversity and nature conservation, released the lizard around 5pm on Thursday (21 July).

Local sources said Abdul Gani is a model farmer of Sarugram in Kalerpara union of the upazila. Around midday on Monday (18 July), as he was returning home from work in the fields, the monitor lizard walked past in front of him; it had come into the village looking for food. With the help of locals, Abdul Gani caught it and took it home, where he kept it inside a large cement container.

As the news spread, curious crowds gathered at the house every day to see the lizard. On hearing of it, the executive director of Swadhin Jiban went to the spot and safely freed it.

Abdul Gani said: "I caught the monitor lizard out of curiosity, but I did nothing to harm it. I kept it for a few days as a hobby and fed it. But it was not right. Realising my mistake, I let it go."

Abdur Razzak Nasim said the beneficial friends of our environment are now greatly endangered. Monitor lizards are endangered just as vultures are, because like vultures they eat dead and rotting animals and do the environment immense good.

He said the lizard had come into the village looking for food and an unaware farmer had caught it. After persuading him, it was safely released.

Dhunat Upazila Livestock Officer Monirul Islam said monitor lizards are environmentally friendly and very beneficial to people, and must be protected.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.