A 34-year-old Colorado man whose hobby was collecting venomous reptiles as pets was killed by one of his Gila monsters.
Lakewood Police confirmed to Fox News Digital that on February 12, at approximately 11:45 p.m., they received a 911 call from the victim’s girlfriend, Madeline Sutton, reporting that she had been bitten by an animal.
When they arrive at Christopher Ward’s house, they discover that he has been bitten by a poisonous monster called Gila.
Police said Ward named his pet lizard “Winston.”
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Police say Christopher Ward kept two Gila monsters at his home in Colorado. (DeAgostini/Getty Images/File)
Police said Sutton was in another room in the couple’s apartment when she heard Sutton say something that was “not right.”
When she entered the room, she found Mr. Ward on the ground and the Gila monster had escaped from its cage and was “latching on” to Mr. Ward’s hand.
Police said his distraught girlfriend called 911 after the man was vomiting violently and had “stopped” breathing.
Ward was hospitalized for four days before dying from the bite, authorities said.
Christopher Ward died on February 12th after being bitten by a poisonous Americad monster. (Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images/File)
The day after the man was bitten, Lakewood animal control officers, with assistance from the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife, went to the home and removed the two dog bear monsters.
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Officials also discovered and removed 26 species of spiders from homes in Colorado.
Police said Ward also had a pet tarantula spider.
The San Diego Wildlife and Zoo Alliance said it is “rare” for the American doctrinaire monster to kill humans with its venomous bite. (Encyclopedia Britannica/UIG, via Getty Images)
Lakewood police said the reptile was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation facility in South Dakota.
Police noted that possession of a dogma is illegal in Lakewood, Colorado.
According to the San Diego Wildlife and Zoo Alliance, human fatalities from Gila monster bites are “rare.”
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“The American monster is poisonous, and its venom is produced by a row of glands in the lizard’s lower jaw. When the lizard bites, small grooves in its teeth help funnel the venom into its prey,” the organization said. Stated. on the website. “A Gila monster’s bite is very strong and the lizard may not let up for several seconds. The venom can penetrate deep into the wound.
“Gila monster bites are painful to humans, but are rarely fatal,” the zoo added.
