DURBAN – Dangerous Creatures at uShaka Marine World has bid a sad goodbye to Raymond, a monitor lizard that has called it home since 2011.
The South African Association for Marine Biological Research’s (Saambr) Ann Kunz said Raymond was approximately 9 years old when he arrived at Saambr after being housed at a rescue facility in Hillcrest.
That meant that at around 20 years old, Raymond was well past his natural lifespan.
Kunz said as Raymond was one of their geriatric residents, it was not surprising when, despite eating well, he started to lose muscle mass and show a few other signs of age-related issues including extensive liver pathology. After performing tests, it was found that the probable cause of his elevated glucose levels was a tumour.
She said over the past few days, Raymond was becoming more unstable each day and based on his prognosis and age, a decision was made to let him rest in peace.
Senior herpetologist Lesley Labuschagne said: “I fell in love with Raymond the moment I started interacting with him 11 years ago. As I had never cared for such a large reptile before, I was initially a little hesitant. Raymond, however, was very gentle and responsive and easy to love.”
Kunz added that over the past 11 years, more than half a million visitors to uShaka Marine World were able to overcome their initial fear of reptiles by observing Raymond’s gentle spirit.
Murdoch, another monitor lizard that arrived at the same time as Raymond, is in good health and will remain on exhibit outside Dangerous Creatures.
Daily News