A 34-year-old man from the US state of Colorado has died after being bitten by a Gila lizard. The man kept two of the poisonous reptiles as pets.
He apparently kept the animal illegally. The bites of Gila lizards are considered very painful. There are no uniform rules for keeping lizards in the USA. It is permitted in parts of the USA, but requires approval or is prohibited elsewhere. A bite by the animals is "never a coincidence," says an expert.