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Police used hardboiled eggs and chicken to capture Goose the escaped lizard

Goose, a five-foot long water monitor lizard, escaped through a screen window from its residence at 17 Blueberry Hill on July 18, Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw said.

August 4, 2025

3 minutes to read

Webster’s “unofficial mascot,” a lizard named Goose, was safely captured on Saturday, Mass. Environmental Police Chief Scott Amati said Monday at a press conference that featured an appearance from Goose himself.

Goose, a five-foot long water monitor lizard, escaped through a screen window from its residence at 17 Blueberry Hill on July 18, Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw said.

Webster Police alongside Webster Animal Control conducted a search in the area of Blueberry Lane after the reptile was reported missing.

After the search was unsuccessful, police issued a Facebook post requesting residents to alert authorities if they spotted Goose.

“Not knowing much about water monitors or where they would go, we were hoping that it would essentially just poke its head out and someone would see it and call us and we’d be able to capture it,” Amati said.

The Environmental Police received several potential sightings of Goose — all the way to Connecticut — and locating Goose was akin to finding a needle in a haystack, Amati said.

Goose was eventually confirmed to be seen in Douglas, a town close to the Connecticut border.

The lizard was spotted on Southwest Main Street by Douglas State Forest, around 2.5 miles away from its home, sunning itself on the asphalt road.

When approached, the lizard retreated to its hiding spot, a crevice under a tree root.

“I took a look in there and there was a tongue sticking out at me,” Amati said.

To lure Goose out of its hiding spot, the Environmental Police used hardboiled eggs, then pieces of chicken.

“It was pretty surreal to do so,” Amati said. “A strong animal for its size, fairly well behaved, all things considered, until we got the catchpoles on it. Then it’s a wild animal trying to defend itself.”

Amati said Goose “defecated” on him during the capture.

The lizard was safely apprehended by the Environmental Police and placed in the care of Rainforest Reptile Shows. Goose will reside in the nonprofit organization’s Oasis Animal Sanctuary, President Joan Gallagher said.

The sanctuary is in the process of building Goose a permanent habitat, Gallagher said, and will quarantine the lizard for six weeks.

Gallagher said there may be a day where Webster residents can visit Goose at the sanctuary.

“It’s not an easy feat to capture an animal like this,” said Mack Ralbovsky, vice president of Rainforest Reptile Shows. “It’s incredibly important that when you are getting pets, that we are doing our research.”

Water monitor lizards are illegal to own without a permit in Mass., and though Goose was “somewhat domesticated,” Amati said, the lizard still had “razor-sharp teeth.”

Water monitor lizards can be up to nine feet long and weigh around 50 to 60 pounds, Ralbovsky said. They are also extraordinarily quick, and can move up to 12 miles per hour.

Ralbovsky speculated that Goose is between five to eight years old.

Environmental Police said they spoke to Goose’s owner, and the state decided to give the owner a warning for possession of the animal and the lack of importation permit for it.

Amati said the reptile was “very well taken care of” in the time it was in its owner’s possession, and the lizard came to Mass. from New Hampshire.

“We have an animal that was released that could have been detrimental to the natural population. We have a population that was put into a great deal of fright that it would attack small children, eat cats and dogs,” Amati said. “The resources and man hours, we put a lot into it but we have the animal back. I would definitely say it was worth it.”