Monitor lizard spotted in Kolkata streets amid cyclone Yaas? Video goes viral

Kolkata, May 27: A video of giant monitor lizard slowly walking on a waterlogged street in Kolkata after Cyclone Yaas wreaked havoc in parts of West Bengal's coastal district.

The sight of the monitor lizard casually strolling around an unidentified neighbourhood has surfaced online. The video was shared by Praveen Angusamy from the Indian Forest Service on Twitter.

Sharing the video, he wrote,"This Water or Bengal monitor lizard was spotted in Dum Dum, Kolkata after heavy rains from #CycloneYaas. If you see any wildlife, please inform the forest dept or district admin immediately. Do not try to catch it or try to kill the animal. A safe distance is always advisable."

This Water or Bengal monitor lizard was spotted in Dum Dum, Kolkata after heavy rains from #CycloneYaas . If you see any wildlife, please inform the forest dept or district admin immediately. Do not try to catch it or try to kill the animal. A safe distance is always advisable 👍 pic.twitter.com/rnxvZud9pz

— Praveen Angusamy, IFS 🐾 (@PraveenIFShere) May 26, 2021

The video has gone viral on the microblogging platform. It has received more than 4,500 views. While some netizens felt scared of the sighting, others made jokes.

One user said, "Completely non venomous but we should keep distance from this because lizard's nail is very sharp and can be harmful." Another wrote, "Is it a Komodo dragon?."

However, a senior Forest Department official said no such monitor lizard was found in Bangur in Kolkata by a team that visited the area. He said that the video might be old.