Scaly situation: Bangkok mulls over monitor mayhem in the city
Bangkok’s iconic Lumpini Park is grappling with a surge of reptilian residents, as the city considers crafty manoeuvres to manage the thriving water monitor lizard population that’s raised eyebrows, not alarms.
At the heart of the city, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) faces a slippery challenge: an uptick in water monitors roaming Lumpini Park and the adjacent canal along the bustling Rama IV Road.
The growing lizard population has prompted the BMA to weigh up strategies for ensuring harmonious coexistence between these cold-blooded inhabitants and park-goers.
Prapas Lueangsirinapha, the BMA’s Environment Department boss, recently spoke out about the concern bubbling among residents as these reptiles leave their mark on the city centre. While protected under the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act BE 2562, which forbids hunting or harming them, water monitors are more an asset than a threat.
Despite their fearsome appearance, experts from the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand assure the public that these majestic creatures pose no danger to humans unless provoked. In fact, they play a crucial ecological role, feasting on animal carcasses and keeping rodent populations in check.
The BMA is keen to boost public knowledge, educating locals and tourists alike on these monitor marvels and encouraging peaceful cohabitation. High-level talks with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation are on the agenda to explore population management tactics, reported Bangkok Post.
Ittipol Ingprasarn, Pathumwan district director, revealed that ongoing clean-ups around Lumpini Park and the nearby canal aim to fend off animals that spread disease, preventing these green spaces from becoming their lunch counters. The district is also mulling additional collaborations with agencies to keep the monitor masses in line.
In this urban jungle, Bangkok plans to balance its ecosystem, taming the wild without taming the wild at heart.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, a large monitor lizard unexpectedly entered a home, startling an elderly woman. Her daughter speculated the reptile was driven by a dog while attempting to steal eggs. The incident was captured on video and shared widely on social media.
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