One of the animals that I have always wanted to work with is the deadly Gila Monster. They are one of the only two venomous lizards in the world. Their dangerous bite is said to be extremely long and painful. With that said, my dream came true last Friday when I took a Gila Monster named “Lilly” on Fox News!
“Lilly” along with six other Gila Monsters were illegally taken out of the wild and were destined to be sold in the pet trade. Luckily, Idaho Fish and Game confiscated all six. Unfortunately once they were removed from their environment they could not be returned.
Contrary to popular belief, Gila Monsters are generally slow animals that rarely bite humans unless threatened. They would way rather save their venom for their prey (birds, rodents, reptiles) than use it on us.
The Fox appearance went great. “Lilly” was a HUGE hit for the Halloween show. And what Gila Monster wouldn’t be? Those gorgeous colors of orange and black go perfectly for a CREEPY theme. Although I only got to work with her for a few minutes on TV…those few minutes I will remember and cherish for the rest of my life!
If you want more information about Gila Monsters visit our friends at the San Diego Zoo http://corbinmaxey.com/http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-gila_monster.html