Man killed by Gila monster he kept illegally as pet

A Gila monster is a venomous lizard native to the United States

A US man died after being bitten by a Gila monster he kept illegally as a pet, CNN has reported. Christopher Ward, 34, kept two of the venomous lizards as pets in his Lakewood, Colorado home. Lakewood officials say that keeping Gila monsters as pets is illegal in the city.

Ward took ill on February 12 after being bitten by one of the reptiles. His girlfriend called 911, the American emergency number, just before midnight on February 12. She said that she found one of the Gila monsters latched onto Ward’s hand when she entered the room where they were kept.

Ward became sick immediately after being bitten. He vomited several times before passing out.

His girlfriend told authorities that she is not sure what led to the bite as she was in another room. She went to check on Ward after she heard something that “didn’t sound right.”

Ward was rushed to a local hospital where he was put on life support before being declared brain dead. He died days later, breathing his last on February 16.

The venomous lizards have been removed from his home and will be reloacted to an animal park in South Dakota. The 26 spiders that Ward kept as pets have also been removed from his home.

The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) is a venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It is one of the two venomous lizards in the world. Its venom primarily consists of proteins and enzymes and is used to subdue its prey. However, fatalities from these slow-moving reptiles are extremely rare.