Note: It is illegal to capture Monitors in Australia in the wild.  It is only permissible to ‘capture’ a Monitor if it is already within a structure such as a house or, in the case of this blog, a duck pen. Even then a person can only capture the Monitor for the purpose of removal from the structure and subsequent relocation.  Monitors should never be approached in the wild and should never be harmed under any circumstance, being a protected species.

Monitors, Goannas , big friggin lizards – whatever ya wanna call them I love’em!

They are truly beautiful creatures. Before moving to our new farm I had only ever seen a couple in the wild; now we have a property full of them!

For the most part I love having them around. First and foremost as they eat baby snakes. Even full grown snakes don’t like to hang around them. Ergo the more Monitors we have, the less snakes. And as a father of two young children that suits me just fine.

Monitor’s are egg enthusiasts. I’ve often found them in our compost after the egg shells and even in our own yard I’ve taken film of them scaling trees to first go after Cockatoo eggs and then Magpie eggs. Considering the amount of both we have around our place, that doesn’t bother me too much and I don’t get involved since its part of nature’s cycle.

However at least a half-dozen times over the past two years I’ve caught them raiding out duck nests.

Now our organic free-range duck eggs are one of the few things we sell on our farm, so we don’t like them to be taken. And once a Monitor has discovered where the ducks lay, he will be back again and again and again. I’ve even found one pushing its head under the arse of a clucky duck to eat the actual eggs she is sitting on! It can be very frustrating when your new ducklings are only a week or so off hatching and they get gobbled down by a sneaky lizard.

So because of this, from time to time I’ve had to relocate the odd Monitor. Bear in mind this is always done with the upmost care so as to cause the animal no injury. I only relocate them when they have started the duck egg filching, before that I’m more than happy for them to climb our trees, keep the snakes away and just, well, be beautiful to look at really. Catching and relocating monitors is actually a surprisingly simple and easy process, and here is how you do it:

Materials Required

*1 garbage can

Yup, that’s it! Sometimes I’ve used a cage as well but I find a plastic bin works best.

Method

You see, Monitors are not aggressive creatures at all. They eat eggs and carrion and baby reptiles. They don’t attack big creatures and are not remotely hostile so when approached by a human they will run away as fast as they can, preferably up the nearest tree.

So your technique is simple, when you spot the Monitor in your house or coop, grab a plastic bin and a lid and chase him. If he runs outside and goes up a tree he will wait up there for hours until you go away so you have lost him. Plus it is then illegal to interfere with him in any way.  The idea is to back the Monitor into a corner of whatever room or pen it has entered.

Once in the corner he will turn his head and hiss at you. This is all bluff. Whilst Monitors do have venom sectretions in their mouths and a bite can make someone sick, they will only go the chomp as a last resort. Likewise he has claws like chainsaws and a tail that can it can use like a whip.  However again he will only use these as a last resort – he doesn’t want a fight – he just wants you to go away.

Quickly, very quickly but making sure you don’t snag one of his legs, dump the bin over him. If the opening is vertical slam the lid on, if it is upside down on the ground slide the lid underneath. Now secure the lid via its side handles, or if it doesn’t have handles simply tie it down with a bit of rope so it accidentally doesn’t pop off. The Monitor is going to be quite bewildered inside and is going to be trying to figure out his situation, not slamming himself against the lid trying to get out.

Relocation

Now it’s just a matter of taking the Monitor to its new home. Our farm backs onto a state forest so it’s a great place to let them loose for us. However as I’ve learned, make sure you let them loose under a tree for them to immediately scale. If not they are going to be looking for the nearest cover and that may well be the underside of your vehicle. Then you’ve got the headache of getting the bugger out.

Out of all the Monitors I’ve relocated I’ve only ever had one return, so next time I took him further afield. And I’m pleased to say that when bushwalking I’ve even spotted ones I’ve relocated before. Very easy, just triangulate the angry noise of cheeping birds and there’s a good chance you will spot a Monitor half way up their tree.

And remember, unless you have your own birds whose eggs you want to protect, if you find a Monitor on your property, leave him be. They are beautiful creatures, will never, ever attack you and will help keep your place clear of snakes.

Happy and humane hunting!

Related Articles

• Video: Cockatoo vs Goanna

• Video: Magpie vs Goanna

• Capturing Wild Animals: Feral Goats