Late last month, a pair of homeowners in Sydney, Australia, got home and noticed something was off.
“[They] returned home from work, only to hear a strange scratching noise coming from their fireplace,” WIRES Wildlife Rescue wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.
Carefully, the pair peeked up into the fireplace and found a surprising visitor inside.
WIRES
“They were shocked to find a lizard [stuck] in the upper section of the wall,” WIRES wrote in the post.
The animal wasn’t just any lizard — he was a young goanna, or lace monitor. According to Bush Heritage Australia, these sharp-toothed lizards can grow to be over 6 feet long. Luckily, this one was just a baby.
The couple got in touch with WIRES. Soon, a volunteer rescuer was at the scene, ready to help get the goanna to safety.
WIRES
Lace monitors are exceptionally great climbers. The rescuer assumed the little guy had climbed up the house, across the roof, and was now exploring down in the chimney.
“I was cautious at first, as it could have been a trapped snake,” the WIRES volunteer rescuer told The Dodo. “But the moment I realized it was a juvenile goanna, I knew it was safe to put my hand in to contain it. I felt sorry for the youngster, as it would have been struggling to find a way out and probably hungry and dehydrated.”
WIRES
Free from the floo, the lizard was moved into a carrier. The rescuer was pleased to find that he was uninjured and almost ready to return to the wild. After a few days of assessment and extra hydration, the goanna was released back into his natural habitat.
Back where he belongs, this goanna is finally free to grow and thrive.
