LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The man who died over the weekend after being bitten by one of his pet Gila monsters had an immediate reaction after the lizard latched onto his hand, according to a report from Lakewood Animal Control officers.
Around 11:45 p.m. Feb. 12, the man's girlfriend called 911 to report the bite. The victim, a 34-year-old man, was taken to the hospital and died several days later. His cause of death is pending, according to the Jefferson County coroner's office.
The day after the bite, animal control and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials responded to the home due to the venomous nature of the animal involved. The animal control officer contracted the victim's girlfriend by phone while she was at the hospital. She said the victim was on "life support," according to the report.
She reported that she did not know exactly what happened with the Gila monster because was in another room and heard the victim say something that "didn't sound right." She then entered the room with the reptiles and saw one of the two Gila monsters had "latched" onto the victim's hand and said the victim "immediately began exhibiting symptoms."
Authorities told the woman that Gila monsters are illegal in Lakewood, and she asked to have both of the reptiles removed as soon as possible. They were eventually transported to a facility in South Dakota.
She told the animal control officer that the animal that had bitten the victim was named "Winston" and said it had been purchased in Denver at a reptile exhibition in October 2023. The younger reptile is named "Potato." It was purchased from an out-of-state breeder in November as a hatchling.
Animal control officers also removed 26 spiders of different species from the residence, the report says.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Gila monsters are illegal to own as pets in Colorado, but the agency does issue permits for zoological facilities.
What is a Gila monster?
According to the San Diego Zoo, Gila monsters are typically solitary and live in desert or semi-desert areas. They are venomous and their bites are painful to humans but rarely cause death, the zoo's website says.
“I have only seen one in a private home in Colorado in 41 years of practice,” said Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, a veterinarian at VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital. “And that was when it was seized at a crack house by the Denver Police Department.”
Fitzgerald said, of the thousands of lizard species, the Gila monster is one of only two that are venomous.
“These are shy nocturnal animals, you know, that come out at night,” Fitzgerald said. “These animals don't use the venom in catching prey. They only use the venom in defense. They have to chew to start to release the venom. Now, they've got a really great grip."
Fitzgerald said this is an incredibly rare case that raises a lot of questions.
“When something like this happens you have to ask yourself, 'How much venom? Was the person immunocompromised? How big is the person? How big is the victim compared to the amount of venom that’s injected? How toxic is this victim?'” Fitzgerald said. “I don't know the circumstances of this bite, and it's a horrible case and our sympathies go out to the people, but this is rare. This doesn't happen in nature. This is a function of captivity.”
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