Colorado man died from venomous Gila monster bite, autopsy confirms

An autopsy report found that a Gila monster’s venomous bite contributed to the death of a Colorado man in February, which one expert described as “an incredibly rare” fatality caused by one of the desert lizards.

The man, Christopher Ward, 34, died Feb. 16 “due to complications from Gila monster poisoning,” according to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office autopsy report, which also listed heart and liver problems as contributing factors.

Mr Ward suffered a four-minute bite from the lizard on his right hand on the night of February 12, the report said. He became unconscious for about two hours before seeking medical attention, the report said.

Paramedics found Mr. Ward in a bed, barely responsive and “in apparent serious distress,” the report said. He was taken to a hospital where he was put on life support and “continued to deteriorate during his hospital stay.”

Mr. Ward’s girlfriend, who was present the night of the bite and who called 911, told authorities in the Denver suburb of Lakewood that she was in another room when Mr. Ward was bitten and did not know what caused it of the lizard. strike.

She said she heard him say something “and it ‘didn’t sound right,’” according to an animal control report. When she entered the room, she found the lizard “latched” to Mr. Ward, the report said.

Kevin Torregrosa, the curator of herpetology at the Bronx Zoo, said it is rare to be bitten by a Gila monster and that “it is also incredibly rare to die from it.”

“This is certainly the first one I have had firsthand knowledge of in my career,” he said Saturday.

This is reported by the Associated Press that this was believed to be the first death from a Gila monster bite in the United States in nearly a century.

The fact that the Gila monster bit Mr. Ward’s hand for four minutes wasn’t surprising, “because that’s what they do,” Mr. Torregrosa said.

“They bite, they hold on and they chew, and that’s how they release their venom,” he said, adding that the venom is “very painful.” For the most part, the lizards are not ‘active hunters’ and their venom is used primarily for defense.

Unlike snakes, which inject their venom with teeth that resemble hypodermic needles, Gila monsters have grooves or channels in their teeth so they hold on when they bite, he said.

“The whole point is to get rid of whatever is on their minds,” Mr. Torregrosa said.

Mr. Ward’s girlfriend told authorities that the lizard that bit Mr. Ward was named Winston and that it was purchased at a reptile show in Denver in October, according to the animal control report.

There was also a younger Gila monster in the house named Potato, which was purchased in November from a breeder in Arizona.

Authorities told Mr.’s girlfriend. Ward that it was illegal to keep Gila monsters in Lakewood, and both lizards were taken to a reptile zoo in South Dakota. Officials also removed 26 spiders of various species and took them to an animal shelter.

Gila monsters are native to the southwestern United States and Mexico and are relatively small and slow lizards, Mr. Torregrosa said, making it easy to avoid being bitten by a lizard.

“You have to mess with them to get bit,” Mr. Torregrosa said. “You will not run out of the bushes and bite you.”

The lizards have short legs and stocky bodies, so they don’t scurry around quickly. Instead, they “stroll and lumber around like a turtle does,” but Mr Torregrosa warned they can strike quickly.

Gila monsters have a striking color pattern in varying shades of orange, red, pink and yellow, which breaks up their body contours and helps them camouflage. The vibrant colors also serve as a warning, as brightly colored animals tend to be venomous or venomous, Mr. Torregrosa said.

The Bronx Zoo has three Gila monsters on display in the reptile house, he said, and tools are used to move them when it’s time to clean their enclosure.

“We don’t reach into the enclosures where the animals are,” he said. “Incidents often happen there.”

He added that while he didn’t know what happened in this case, “people often think, especially with a Gila monster, that they’re a pretty slow and laid-back lizard, so they just don’t pay attention. while they are at work.”