Rare incident: Colorado man dies after pet Gila monster bites him

A 34-year-old man in Colorado died earlier this month, days after one of his 2 pet Gila monsters bit him, the Lakewood Police said.

Police said Tuesday that Jeffcom, an emergency communications center in Jefferson County, received a 911 call with regards "to an animal bite" around 11:45 p.m. on Feb. 12. The bite was later determined to be that of a pet Gila monster and the victim was transported to the hospital, where he died four days later. The victim was not identified, and the police said his family has requested privacy.

"This was a medical only call that evening, and agents did not respond out that evening," said the police. "Unfortunately, the 34-year-old male victim did not survive over the weekend."

The next day, Lakewood Animal Control Officers with the assistance of Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife responded to the home and removed the two Gila monsters to take them to a wildlife facility in another state, said the police.

Twenty-six spiders, all of different species, were also present at the victim's home and were taken by animal control, a police spokesperson told USA TODAY, adding that the animals were being kept illegally and are "not allowed in the City of Lakewood".

What is a Gila monster?

Native to southwestern U.S. and Mexico, Gila monsters are venomous reptiles and are one of the only two venomous lizards in the world, according to the San Diego Wildlife Alliance. The largest lizards in the U.S., they are named after the Gila River in Arizona and are solitary creatures that live in desert and semi-desert areas. They are protected under Arizona law and are classified as "near-threatened species," in the country as per Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.

Despite being poisonous, the Gila lizard bites are not normally fatal for humans, though they can be very painful.

Exact cause of death to be determined by toxicology testing

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office confirmed the death to CBS Colorado, saying that while an autopsy was conducted on the victim, the exact cause of death won't be known until further toxicology testing is completed. The coroner's office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for information.

Last known fatal case was in 1930

Dr. Nick Brandehoff, a medical toxicologist and reptile expert with the Asclepius Snakebite Foundation, who was consulted on the Lakewood case told CBS Colorado that such an incident was incredibly rare.

"The vast majority of bites cause local swelling and bleeding. The last case I have been able to find was [in] 1930 and that was not even a medical journal case," Dr Brandehoff told CBS. "I think this case highlights that any venomous animals should be respected."

The Gila monster, who bit its owner, will be taken to a lab in Greeley at the University of Northern Colorado, where its venom will be extracted and studied to get a clearer understanding of how it caused the man's death, Brandehoff told CBS.

Brandehoff said experts will "look at the venom components and see if there is some reason this might occur." The reptile expert added that he suspects the victim may have had an allergic reaction to the Gila monster's venom, which may have caused his death. However, he said that it is too early in the investigation to tell.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.