A Colorado man who was placed on life support after he was bitten by his pet Gila monster died of complications from the desert lizard’s venom, an autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press on Friday confirmed.
The report also found that heart and liver problems were significant contributing factors in Christopher Ward’s death.
Ward, 34, was taken to a hospital shortly after being bitten by one of his two pet Gila monsters on Feb. 12. His death less than four days later is believed to be the first from a Gila monster in the U.S. in almost a century.
The autopsy, conducted by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office on Feb. 18, said Ward was bitten for four minutes and wavered in and out of consciousness for about two hours before seeking medical attention. He suffered multiple seizures and acute respiratory failure at the hospital.
I think there are only a couple of species of venomous lizards in the world, and the Gila Monster, native to Mexico and the US southwest, is well known as a staple of childhood “amazing creature” factoids. He knew exactly what he was doing by living with them. I don’t think they’re as aggressive or as virulent as some venomous snakes, but sad as it is, this falls squarely into “irresponsible verging on Darwin Award” territory.
This isn’t really fair, the guy was just unlucky, the vast majority of people could easily get a gila monster and keep it as a pet, and it would be a very good pet.
Their venom is not particularly dangerous, this man was just already unhealthy and so the little bit the venom did did him in.
If the average young healthy person had a pet gila monster, their venom would be absolutely no concern at all unless they’re allergic. There’s a reason this is the first death in nearly 100 years!