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.
Almost none do, the gila monster is one of the few venomous species. It isn’t usually a fatal venom to my understanding, though as this proves it can be and it’s still said to be highly unpleasant in any case. It’s also not a terribly common lizard to see as a pet either, like you can probably find one if you go looking for it, but if you just want a pet lizard, there are a lot better suited species that will be most of what is sold, so I’d bet this guy intentionally wanted to get these ones and knew what they were, and was being reckless with them, rather than just didn’t know they were dangerous or something.