Rescue workers surrounded and captured a monitor lizard. Measuring more than 2 meters long, it emerged from the forest and invaded a local food stall. It took over 30 minutes before it was captured and released back into the wild.
On 5 Feb 2026 GMT+7, the Sawang Rojanatham Sattahip Rescue Unit radio center received an emergency call from the owner of a food stall named Krua Kanlaya at Km.7, Plutaluang Subdistrict, Sattahip District, Chonburi Province. The owner reported a large monitor lizard had invaded the stall trying to eat the food and requested rescue personnel to capture and release it back into nature.
Later, the radio center assigned rescue officers Mr. Wicha Jindanil (call sign 142), Mr. Anon Rajapitak (call sign 037), and Mr. Suwat Buaban (call sign 303), all experienced reptile handlers, to surround the area. The monitor lizard was large, measuring over 2 meters in length.
After seeing the officers, the monitor lizard fled and hid in a corner by a wall. The officers took over 30 minutes to carefully extract it. They then transported it by motorcycle to release it back into the wild.
Mr. Wicha Jindanil (call sign 142) explained that this monitor lizard likely left the forest in search of food. Upon spotting the food stall, it crawled in hoping for a free meal but had no money. The stall owner could not allow it to stay, as feeding it would cause losses, so they promptly called rescue personnel to capture and release the animal back to nature.