Horror as monitor lizard is found devouring a newborn baby in Thailand
This is the horrifying moment a monitor lizard was found devouring a newborn baby in Thailand today.
The seven-foot beast sparked alarm when it was seen scampering around the grassy wasteland with the infant's remains in its jaws.
Paramedics and animal catchers arrived at the scene in Samut Prakan on the outskirts of Bangkok, where they found the killer reptile gnawing on the baby's body in the thick, tall grass. However, it fled under the concrete fence when they tried to catch it.
Footage shows the Godzilla-like creature hiding in its swampy nook and feasting on the baby's dismembered lower half while officers recovered the head and torso nearby.
Rescue volunteer Chaiwat Boonmee said: 'The monitor lizard had dragged the baby's body under a nearby house, making it difficult to recover the remaining parts.
'The rest of the body was handed over to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.'
A resident who reported the gruesome discovery to police said he had initially mistaken the baby's remains for a fish.
He said: 'At first, I thought the monitor lizard had caught a fish. But upon closer inspection, I saw that it was actually a baby's body and quickly called for help.
'I felt sick to my stomach because the baby had been torn to pieces by the animal.'
Authorities believe the baby had been born around two days earlier before being killed and eaten alive by the ravenous reptile.
Police said an investigation was underway to locate the child's parents for legal action.
Under Thai law, abandonment of a child under nine years old is punishable with a prison term of up to three years, a fine of up to £135, or both.
Monitor lizards are a common predator in Southeast Asian countries.
However, they usually feed on fish or small snakes and rarely attack humans.
Back in 2020, a newborn baby boy was eaten by monitor lizards after being dumped next to a pond.
The infant was discovered by a group of boys who went to play by the waterside in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand.
One 10-year-old child reported the find to a security guard and told police he had smelled something strange then noticed a black bag next to the pond.
Police officers and ambulance crew attended the scene and searched the waterside where the baby was found.
They believe that the bite wounds on the infant's body were from monitor lizards, which live in the pond and normally eat fish and scraps of food from bins.
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