One bright, sunny morning, my friend went out to tend and water her garden. This habitual activity is usually fairly unremarkable, except that life had decided to throw a little monster into the mix that day.

She had no sooner bent over to pick up the hosepipe when she found herself face to face with a surprisingly large lizard. My friend just about jumped out of her skin at the sight of this unexpected intruder and she potentially set a new record for high jump, which left her standing on the other side of the lawn. After recovering from the shock, her fearlessly practical warrior instincts kicked in and she wasted no time capturing it under her laundry basket. Incidentally, this made the poor thing look as though it had been incarcerated behind some bright red burglar bars. Yes, don’t mess with a woman and her laundry basket, because you will surely come off worst – especially if you are a creepy-crawly.

Naturally, being female, my friend then grabbed her cellphone and proceeded to tell everyone what she had caught. I duly received the following message from her:

“I found a Komodo dragon or something similar in my garden.”

I couldn’t help chuckling at the unlikely feasibility of that and – as one of her neighbours plainly stated – if that’s the case, you’d better run for your life!

Komodo dragons are the biggest lizards on Earth and they can grow up to three metres in length. These carnivores have sharp, serrated teeth and a deadly, venomous bite that can cause blood poisoning and muscle paralysis. What’s more, they are known to eat almost anything from deer and pigs to water buffalo and even humans. So, if you come across one in the wild, you better “run, Forrest, run”!

I subsequently wrote back to my friend to tell her that she had more than likely misidentified the trespasser in her garden:

“Lol! A Komodo dragon is the size of a dog! Must be something else. Did you take a pic?”

“I’m told it is a bearded dragon,” she replied, feeling a little foolish about her faux pas and attaching a photo.

Ah! A bearded dragon! Well, that certainly made more sense. Bearded dragons come from central Australia and are generally between thirty and sixty centimetres in length. As adults, they mainly eat a plant-based diet and – all in all – they are actually kind of cute. And, no, I’m not generally a fan of reptiles, so that says a lot.

After making some inquiries to find out if any of the neighbours had lost their pet, my friend discovered that a nearby neighbour worked at the zoo. So, when poor old Benny the bearded dragon (yes, she named him) remained unclaimed, he was handed over to the nice lady from the zoo who promised to give him a good, new home.

I’m willing to bet that very few people have unexpectedly come across a bearded dragon in their garden. I think the sheer oddity of it is enough to give anyone the fright of their life. Then again, I’d rather come across a bearded dragon in my garden than a Komodo dragon any day!

© 2017 Audrey Whyte   All Rights Reserved