An array of reptiles have been found in a home on Springbrooke Road in Cobourg following a fire on Sunday.
Firefighters say among the reptiles, they found one of the world’s largest species of lizards, an Asian Water Monitor, which may be to blame for the fire, which occurred just before 7 a.m Sunday.
“There was one large lizard still left in the house running around and the firemen managed to trap it under a couch,” said Bry Loyst, director of the Indian River Reptile Zoo.
That’s when the Indian River Reptile Zoo came to the rescue. The owners said the five-foot-long lizard’s name was Tiny.
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Occupants of the home said they had an electric heater running so firefighters suspect the lizard could have knocked it over, causing the fire.
“It’s one of the longest and largest species of lizards in the world. So they can get up to, I think the record is around 10 feet long,” said Loyst.
But Tiny wasn’t alone. There was were also two dogs in the home and a total of five reptiles kept in terrariums.
“We found more reptiles than we were anticipating so we began to assist the reptiles out of the building and into a safe environment in our trucks,” said Cobourg fire captain Chris Brown.
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While Tiny the lizard is venomous and is capable of inflicting a poisonous bite, he is legal to have as a pet in the town of Cobourg. But he’s an illegal pet in places like Toronto or Peterborough.
“When it comes to private dwellings, the town of Cobourg does not have any bylaws prohibiting the keeping of those types of exotic animals,” said Brent Larmar, Cobourg’s bylaw enforcement officer.
The total damage caused to the home was about $375,000.
As far as Tiny goes, he is still at the zoo and is waiting to be examined by the veterinarian because he is in rough shape following the fire.
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