Caught in the bright flash of a local worker’s camera, a giant Papuan monitor lizard was spotted weeks ago around the Gasparina farmhouse near the town of Montichiari, in Italy’s Lombardian countryside. First seen in early July, more than 13,000km from its native habitat of Papua New Guinea, the reptile quickly captured the country’s attention. Local authorities mobilised vast resources for the search and have banned pedestrians from walking in the area it was sighted. But what started as a fascinating hunt for the elusive lizard, followed by a captivated social media audience, quickly turned into a headache for local authorities. According to The Times, thermal imagery and night vision is being used in the search for the 1.5-metre lizard.