But he had been in captivity for so long that
he was very friendly, though he had sharp claws and a spiny back and
head. Sometimes, when I used to guide special guests around, I would
take him out so that they could have a feel of his sandpapery skin. I
was surprised when Harry, the deputy director, told me the Iguana was
as old as I was.
Sometimes, I also handled monitor lizards. They were very strong, had
sharp claws and a very bad bite. Every time I jumped into the pit to
handle them they would rush into the water. I soon learned to be quick
enough, and would get them before they could reach the water. Once they
were cornered they would whip their tails about and inflate their
necks, hissing dangerously. Of course, you had a few of them running up
trees and then you couldn't do anything about it. I soon discovered
that though it looked scarier, it was easier to catch them in the
water.
The croc bank is filled with pits. Each of these pits is an enclosure
varying in size, depending on the size and type of reptile, and the
number of them in it. Every pit has a pond of sorts filled with water
for the reptiles to swim in or to drink. Most of the crocodile pits
were bare, but the monitor lizard pits were usually filled with trees
which they could climb to the highest branches. The branch ends were
kept within the range of the pits so that the monitor lizards did not
get out by trying to climb other trees or jumping out from the high
branches.
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