Water Monitor Surprise!

Yesterday, just before Daddy came home from preaching at the jail and hospital, Keziah came fearfully running up the steps into the kitchen tent with a white ring around her mouth screaming

at the top of her voice,"Mommy, Mommy, "th' th' there's a lizard under Daddy's desk!" On inspection we found a young water monitor called a "lickevon" over here.

From there it ran behind our smaller sleeping tent which is under the big tent with 40% shading net around it to keep bugs, spiders, scorpions and mosquitos out. It ran up the shading net attempting to escape the broom and the rake.

Daniel tried to get it off but it kept whipping him with its tail. Daniel quickly gave up his intentions after he received a few swats.

Here is a picture where it is getting ready to whip with its tail.

As we were chasing this huge lizard, with its very sharp long nails, it was whipping with its tail, trying to bite, all the while hissing at us like crazy.

Just then Daddy arrived in the Land Cruiser. Now all of us children ran out screaming with excitement to tell Daddy there's a huge lizard in our tent.

Daddy came in with us and he caught it by the tail as it tried to whip him and pulled it off the shading net. It has a very powerful tail and was able to turn around and bite at his hand while he was holding it by the tail.

After we took a few pictures and video and watched its behavior between us we let it go and watched as it disappeared into the bushes running towards the lake.

Here it was biting Daddy's shoe.

This water monitor was at least one meter long and thin, a relatively young water monitor. Last week the neighbors chased one about three times as heavy as this one. They were chasing it with spears because it was stealing their chicken eggs and they caught it red-handed. It was running down the hill faster than they could follow. It was awesome to see it move at that speed.

Then it crashed into our shading net. We thought it would go straight through but it stopped it. Then it came for the door and Stephanus hit the heavy lizard back out and away from the door with the flat side of his hand. If that thing would've gotten inside it would've made a mess because it was big and powerful and it was intent on finding a way back down to the lake. That was the biggest water monitor we've ever seen.

The younger water monitor that got in must've wandered in by the backdoor when it surprised Keziah. I think it also got a fright when she started yelling.

Hopefully it got such a fright it won't come back soon. The little one was kind of fun to find in the tent but we certainly hope we do not find the big one in here!