by Lê Hùng Vọng

Social media networks were abuzz after a resident of HCM City rescued a huge female varan (monitor lizard), giving it to the Sài Gòn Zoological Garden on July 30.

Without its new home, the pregnant varan would likely have met an early demise after being sold to a restaurant.

Weighing 15 kilos, and 1.5 metres long, it was captured at 4.30pm and handed over to the zoo at 8pm.

Experts at the zoo said they would raise the varan and ensure a healthy delivery.

“It’s a happy ending!” one reader on website www.Tuoitre.vn said.

The varan had probably escaped from a farm, according to experts at the zoo. The varan had been spotted by a city resident as it was crawling to a canal bank to find a place to lay eggs.

Three male varans live at the Saigon Zoo. “With a new life partner, the male varans are no longer alone,” a reader on one website said.

Another reader, named dohuyhoang, said the incident showed that public awareness about wildlife protection had improved in Việt Nam. VNS