Alligator-size lizards invade Bangkok park
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Alligator-size lizards invade Bangkok park | NECN
(NECN: Bangkok) - Lumpini Park, a 200-acre escape from the city's frantic pace, enjoyed by Thais and foreign tourists alike, has an unlikely visitor -- alligator-sized lizards.
Joggers, walkers and those just simply enjoying the grounds do not seem to mind sharing with these huge reptiles who freely roam the park premises.
At the park's busiest times, water monitor lizards glide through the water behind group aerobics sessions, sit only meters away from nearby readers, and keep pace with the sweating joggers.
Some park-goers shoo away the water monitors, a species that can grow up to 3.5 meters (11.4 feet) long, while others photograph or feed them.
Bangkok resident Wichuda Jantawan said that "from another perspective, they're quite cute."
Lumpini Park lacks a dedicated lizard wrangler, but officials estimate that 100 to 200 clawed creatures call the park home.
The well-stocked fish pond and lack of predators means the reptiles are thriving.
These cousins of the Komodo dragon may draw more visitors to the park than they scare away.