In Malaysia, a video of a man overcoming his fear of monitor lizard to rescue one has gone viral, making him an online hero for his admirable action. 

In the video, the man was still wearing his Baju Melayu, a traditional Malay outfit for men for Hari Raya Aidilfitri or the celebration for the day that marks the end of Ramadhan for Muslims. 

Afraid of the monitor lizards, the man tried several times to free the monitor lizard's head, which was stuck in a sardine can. After several attempts, he managed to free the lizard's head, and it went on its way unharmed. 

The Malaysian Animal Association shared the clip on its social media pages, lauding his actions for being praiseworthy. The president of the organization, Arie Dwi Andika, said that they are proud that "Malaysians have this awareness." The association wants to find the man in the video and honor him with the Noble Animal Malaysia Award for saving the lizard. 

Senawang TV also shared the video on its Twitter account received many positive feedbacks. 

Harith Iskandar, a popular standup comedian, also shared the video on his Instagram account caption it with, "This brother deserves our respect, very compassionate. I don't know if I would be brave enough."

Do Monitor Lizards bite? 

Come to think of it, the man in the video has every right to be afraid. These kinds of monitor lizards known as water monitor lizards grow on an average of around 1.5 meters in length. Like Komodo dragons, water monitor lizards share a dangerous bite and fierce reputation. 

But there is more to these creatures: Mexican researcher Sergio Guerrero-Sanchez, says monitor lizards are forest cleaners of Borneo. 

In Borneo, it had a bad reputation of having a predilection to household garbage. The big lizards are generalists. Thus they devour anything and everything. This kind of appetite, according to Sanchez, has enabled them to survive in every climate and country.

Indeed, various studies in different countries indicated that the species are carnivorous and is noted to consume any animal it can consume such as birds, eggs, small mammals, fish, lizards, frog, chickens, juvenile crocodiles, and tortoises. It is also a scavenger.  

Guerrero-Sanchez said that in some countries, Water monitors are considered pests, as they hunt for food in nearby settlements, going through garbage but also hunting for domestic chickens, eggs, fish ripping fishermen nets while doing so. But some places see these animals as natural pest controls as they also eat rats around the village. 

Water Monitor Lizards are considered as indicator species: their presence, characteristics, and behavior can tell scientists a lot about the ecosystem where it lives. These animals are also an important indicator of the animal community's health, Guerrero- Sanchez said. 

Water Monitor Lizards are also found in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and its surrounding islands, eastern India, Sri Lanka, the Nicobar Islands, the Philippines, and southernmost China, including Hong Kong. 

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