Oregon man captures 6-foot lizard in his yard

updated 8:01 p.m. ET Sept. 8, 2008

GRANTS PASS, Ore. - An Oregon man playing in the yard with his toddler sons recently recaptured a 6-foot-long lizard capable of killing pets and injuring humans.

Ryan Nelson said he thought it was a crocodile when he first spotted the Nile monitor by the rose bushes. He was able to capture it and wrestle it into a large metal dog cage with the help of Dalton Brown from MB Reptiles, a pet store in Grants Pass.

No report on missing lizards has been filed recently with either the Josephine County sheriff's office or Grants Pass police.

But officials say whoever lost the lizard should have immediately reported it because the Nile monitor's teeth and claws make it dangerous to pets and people.

The lizard is now on display at the pet store.

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