Lizard terrorizes Florida neighborhood

CASSELBERRY, Fla., May 27 (UPI) -- Residents of a Florida community are living in fear of a large African monitor lizard that has eluded authorities for weeks.

WKHM-TV of Orlando, Fla., reported Sunday that during the last few weeks the elusive animal has been spotted in Casselberry near areas where children play and that has the locals leery of the potential for an unhappy ending.

Fueling those fears is the fact the large lizard comes naturally equipped with sharp claws and an occasionally poisonous bite. Not to mention the fact it can run 60 miles per hour.

"We just want him to be caught because they say he is very dangerous and he has a deadly bite," Casselberry resident Ilene Gothelf said. "We don't want him around all of the children who here."

While authorities have been unable to capture the beast, Gothelf may have identified the perfect bait for a future trap.

"The lizard actually seems to come out after my husband barbecues," she told WKHM-TV.