BHUBANESWAR: A four-foot-long monitor lizard hiding inside the toilet of a building in the Palasuni area of the city for five days was rescued by the Snake Helpline team on Thursday.
Members of a family of Kapileswar Vihar here heard a strange noise from the washroom of their building on Sunday and found a Bengal monitor lizard near the toilet pan.
They immediately closed the door hoping that the reptile would make its way out of the ventilation window.
As the lizard did not move, they sprinkled bleaching powder on the floor. However, their attempts to drive away the reptile failed as it could not climb the glazed tiles fitted on the walls of the washroom.
After living in fear for five days, the members of the family finally sought the help of Snake Helpline. Rajesh Sutar, a volunteer of the Helpline, reached their house and rescued the lizard.
"I checked the possible entry points and found that the four-foot-long monitor lizard had entered into the bathroom through the ventilation window after it climbed a pipe outside the wall. It, however, failed to escape because of the glazed tiles," Rajesh said.
Snake Helpline General Secretary Subhendu Mallik said when their volunteer reached the spot, the lizard had its head inside the toilet pan hole which could have led to its suffocation.
"I am happy that we could help the family and rescue the reptile without further delay. Monitor lizards, found in the region, are usually harmless. However, people who come across such situations should immediately take help of experts," Mallik said.
The reptile, a protected species, has been released into a safe location on the city's outskirts.