Colorado man dies after bite from Gila monster he illegally kept as a pet

[Bogertophis]

This illustrates what can happen when you buy animals from a reptile expo without (1) having proper knowledge & experience to safely care for them, & (2) disregarding laws where you actually live. Just because they can sell something legally, it's all on you if it's illegal when you take it home without proper permits. (Do your "homework" well in advance & resist impulse buys.)

It's especially unfortunate though, as the venom from a gila monster, while very painful, rarely causes death.


https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/21/healt...ite/index.html

Colorado man dies after bite from Gila monster he illegally kept as a pet



By Amanda Musa, CNN

3 minute read
Published 3:56 PM EST, Wed February 21, 2024














CNN —
A Colorado man has died after a bite from a large venomous lizard, called a Gila monster, that he illegally kept as a pet, according to Lakewood city officials.
Christopher Ward, 34, owned two of the reptiles and became ill after being bitten on the hand by one of the animals, an incident report from the Lakewood Police Department shows. Lakewood is a suburb of Denver.





Ward’s girlfriend called 911 just before midnight February 12 after she entered the room where the reptiles were kept and found that one of them had “latched onto Ward’s hand,” LPD Animal Control officer Leesha Crookston wrote in the report. Ward immediately started showing symptoms, vomiting several times before he passed out, and his breathing stopped, the report said.
Ward’s girlfriend told Crookston that she did not know exactly what led to the bite because she was in a different room at the time but said she heard Ward say something that “didn’t sound right,” according to the report.
Ward was taken to a local hospital, where he was put on life support and was later “declared brain dead,” according to the report. He died February 16, LPD Public Information Officer John Romero told CNN on Wednesday. The cause of death has not been released.

Crookston told Ward’s girlfriend that it is illegal to own Gila monsters in the city of Lakewood, the report said. The lizards were removed from Ward’s home last week by Crookston and officials from Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources.
Officials plan to relocate the lizards to an animal park in South Dakota, according to the report. Twenty-six spiders of different species that Ward kept in terrariums were also removed from the home.
Ward’s girlfriend says that the lizard who bit Ward was named Winston and that Ward bought him at a reptile exhibition in Denver in October, when the reptile was about a year old, according to the report. The second Gila monster, named Potato, was bought as a hatchling from a breeder in Arizona in November.



Gila monsters are the largest lizards in the United States and can measure up to about 22 inches long, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. The reptiles primarily live in Northern Mexico and several southwestern US states including Arizona, California and New Mexico.
The venom from a Gila monster is as toxic as that of a western diamondback rattlesnake, the Smithsonian says. Although the reptiles can hold their bite for more than 10 minutes, they produce a “relatively small amount of venom” when they do.
“There is no antivenom for Gila monster bites,” the San Diego Zoo says, noting that a bite from a Gila monster is painful but rarely causes death.
“The bite of a Gila monster is very strong, and the lizard may not loosen its grip for several seconds,” the San Diego Zoo says. “It may even chew so that the venom goes deeper into the wound.”
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has not responded to a CNN request for comment regarding Ward’s cause of death and whether he died from the reptile’s venom.

[Armiyana]

Different species... same issue.

I love how cute and derpy Mexican Beaded Lizards can look... But seeing people selling them at the local reptile shows is definitely something that has made me nervous.

I'm not surprised seeing this... especially after watching how a couple of the vendors were passing around an adult to each other without gloves and going on about how they're only nippy as babies and puppy dog tame they are once they get bigger.

[Bogertophis]

Different species... same issue.

I love how cute and derpy Mexican Beaded Lizards can look... But seeing people selling them at the local reptile shows is definitely something that has made me nervous.

I'm not surprised seeing this... especially after watching how a couple of the vendors were passing around an adult to each other without gloves and going on about how they're only nippy as babies and puppy dog tame they are once they get bigger.

You know, if reptiles were really out to "get" humans, there'd be so many more fatalities by now. Even species that are "cute & derpy" looking can really hurt you. Venom that's "rarely lethal" isn't the same thing as "non-lethal" & this is a heck of a way for this guy to find out. Geez, the guy was only 34 years old- what a dumb (preventable) way to go. Maybe someone needs to make muzzles for these venomous lizards? (Never mind, just kidding- it would be dangerous to put them on- maybe more so, because the lizards wouldn't like it & they'd learn fast what you're up to.)

[Armiyana]

I guess I'm just slowly getting tired of the freehanding hots with no disclaimers that people post online now and people being like, "I can't wait to get my first cobra!" In the replies.

Laughing about how puppy dog tame the animals you personally work with is one thing... But playing it off that way with new keepers too is what bothers me.

Accidents happen.
Dingo Dinkleman just had an issue where he smartly hung out by a hospital for a couple of hours with his emergency bite kit...and that was because of a freak accident with a DEAD mamba. He swung lightly it as a warning to a cow that was bumping up too close to him and it knicked a fang on his ankle. And that was a just in case he had a full reaction.

It feels like it's just getting easier to find hots in the circles now so seeing more unprepared issues like this may become more common in the news with people ready to drop bans on the critters so quickly

[BeansTheDerp]

I guess I'm just slowly getting tired of the freehanding hots with no disclaimers that people post online now and people being like, "I can't wait to get my first cobra!" In the replies.

Laughing about how puppy dog tame the animals you personally work with is one thing... But playing it off that way with new keepers too is what bothers me.

Accidents happen.
Dingo Dinkleman just had an issue where he smartly hung out by a hospital for a couple of hours with his emergency bite kit...and that was because of a freak accident with a DEAD mamba. He swung lightly it as a warning to a cow that was bumping up too close to him and it knicked a fang on his ankle. And that was a just in case he had a full reaction.

It feels like it's just getting easier to find hots in the circles now so seeing more unprepared issues like this may become more common in the news with people ready to drop bans on the critters so quickly

Exactly, all it takes is one little mistake and you could lose your life professional or not.

[Bogertophis]

Not only that, but the non-reptile-informed public just gets the impression that all reptile keepers are irresponsible. When these accidents are the only ones making the news, the impact is unfairly magnified, & you're right, that leads to bans of everything. Because people (including law enforcement) aren't able to tell venomous from non-venomous, so in their mind it comes down to "let's make them all illegal"- that's their answer, & admittedly, there are over 5000 species, so it IS hard to tell what's safe for anyone not an expert. Heck, even some experts have, in the past, been fooled & killed by species they thought were harmless.

Add to this the bans on live educational programs with reptiles that some states have been passing- heaven forbid that people even learn about harmless reptiles? But they can go online & be influenced by the reckless show-offs. I don't see this as ending well.

[BeansTheDerp]

Not only that, but the non-reptile-informed public just gets the impression that all reptile keepers are irresponsible. When these accidents are the only ones making the news, the impact is unfairly magnified, & you're right, that leads to bans of everything. Because people (including law enforcement) aren't able to tell venomous from non-venomous, so in their mind it comes down to "let's make them all illegal"- that's their answer, & admittedly, there are over 5000 species, so it IS hard to tell what's safe for anyone not an expert. Heck, even some experts have, in the past, been fooled & killed by species they thought were harmless.

Add to this the bans on live educational programs with reptiles that some states have been passing- heaven forbid that people even learn about harmless reptiles? But they can go online & be influenced by the reckless show-offs. I don't see this as ending well.

"Because people (including law enforcement) aren't able to tell venomous from non-venomous, so in their mind it comes down to 'let's make them all illegal'-"

That totally makes me think of a school, I know it is technically off topic but it brings more to your point of people being stubborn about reptiles and differences. I was able to bring Beans there to "practice" programs. I was able to teach people about him and snakes (some people got over their extreme phobias of snakes with his help). In the process I could get better at speaking about him and get him used to it as well while minimizing stress by making his appearances very rare and taking all your other program precautions like limits and how long the snake is out of the carrier. There was no problem and everyone loved him being there but then a lady who worked there one day a week was scared of him and convinced the whole admin team, on her behalf, that he was a danger. I was told he needed to be kept in his carrier at all times except for in one class, which was being done already. Then suddenly he was banned from the school entirely for being dangerous (he obviously isn't and never bit or harmed a soul except for maybe hers... maybe he looked at her funny) and a threat to those with allergies. Apparently the same lady introduced a new idea to wipe out all animals from the school because of allergies, but hypoallergenic animals were still banned because they didn't want arguments about what is or isn't hypoallergenic which is not something exactly... debatable. It shows the lengths people go to for their own fears, and the laziness of some people to learn things or get over that fear.

[Bogertophis]

"Because people (including law enforcement) aren't able to tell venomous from non-venomous, so in their mind it comes down to 'let's make them all illegal'-"

That totally makes me think of a school, I know it is technically off topic but it brings more to your point of people being stubborn about reptiles and differences. I was able to bring Beans there to "practice" programs. I was able to teach people about him and snakes (some people got over their extreme phobias of snakes with his help). In the process I could get better at speaking about him and get him used to it as well while minimizing stress by making his appearances very rare and taking all your other program precautions like limits and how long the snake is out of the carrier. There was no problem and everyone loved him being there but then a lady who worked there one day a week was scared of him and convinced the whole admin team, on her behalf, that he was a danger. I was told he needed to be kept in his carrier at all times except for in one class, which was being done already. Then suddenly he was banned from the school entirely for being dangerous (he obviously isn't and never bit or harmed a soul except for maybe hers... maybe he looked at her funny) and a threat to those with allergies. Apparently the same lady introduced a new idea to wipe out all animals from the school because of allergies, but hypoallergenic animals were still banned because they didn't want arguments about what is or isn't hypoallergenic which is not something exactly... debatable. It shows the lengths people go to for their own fears, and the laziness of some people to learn things or get over that fear.

I'm sorry that happened to you & Beans- education is contagious, but unfortunately, so are closed-minds. Animal-haters love to claim to be allergic too. The problem is that our planet has a web of life basis- life forms are connected to one another, in terms of survival, & when people don't care about wiping out some of them, they are too ignorant to realize it can come back to "bite" their own existence. I think biology courses should be required in high school, but these days, apparently they don't even require civics, & boy does it show. It's frustrating, & I feel like our society is going backwards, even while some percent continues to make great progress. I'm glad you tried, at least. We all have to keep trying.

[BeansTheDerp]

I'm sorry that happened to you & Beans- education is contagious, but unfortunately, so are closed-minds. Animal-haters love to claim to be allergic too. The problem is that our planet has a web of life basis- life forms are connected to one another, in terms of survival, & when people don't care about wiping out some of them, they are too ignorant to realize it can come back to "bite" their own existence. I think biology courses should be required in high school, but these days, apparently they don't even require civics, & boy does it show. It's frustrating, & I feel like our society is going backwards, even while some percent continues to make great progress. I'm glad you tried, at least. We all have to keep trying.

I fought them to take the rule down for a while as did a few teachers. Eventually we were just powerless and not listened to. In spite of the rule one of them bought a stuffed snake as a therapy stuffed animal for her classroom ha!

[Malum Argenteum]

To be fair, some people are legitimately phobic of snakes, and that's not necessarily a fear someone can get over. I'm obviously not, and I'm not sure I've even ever met someone who is (hard to tell if someone's being completely honest on that sort of thing), but I have a lot of sympathy and hopefully understanding for people who are.

Understanding is a two-way street, though, and if one person can't tolerate something that scores of other people are benefiting from, then that one person possibly should excuse themselves from the activity. This is especially the case if those who are benefiting are members of the group that the one person is contractually obligated to be serving.

Don't worry, Beans -- if you keep at it, you'll find a place in the educational system where you can really thrive. There are colleges/departments/groups/communities/people that do actually aim at real education, and it is just a matter of seeking them out and setting yourself up to be part of them.