African lizard found inside trash can in Pennsylvania small town: 'Fairly good condition'
Oscar, a Savannah monitor, was reportedly discovered by a delivery driver in Carlisle Township, Pennsylvania
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An exotic lizard was abandoned on the side of a Pennsylvania road earlier this month, but now he has a new home and a name.
Oscar, the Savannah monitor, was reportedly found inside a trash can in Carlisle Township by a delivery driver before being brought in to the Speranza Animal Rescue in Cumberland County.
The nonprofit rehabilitation center and sanctuary admitted in a Facebook post that the organization didn’t have any volunteer staff members who are "experienced with lizards."
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"We will be looking for a rescue to take this guy in," Speranza Animal Rescue wrote on Wednesday, May 10.
Oscar, the Savannah monitor, was reportedly found in a trash can on the side of Pennsylvania road, according to a Facebook post shared by Speranza Animal Rescue on May 10, 2023. (Rudy Arceo/Venom Institute)
The Speranza Animal Rescue temporarily named the abandoned mystery lizard "Monster," but that all changed when he was placed with the Venom Institute, a nonprofit reptile and amphibian conservation group located in Coal Township, Pennsylvania.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"A volunteer dropped off the lizard to one of our directors and it was in fairly good condition," Rudy Arceo, founder and president of the Venom Institute, wrote in an email to Fox News Digital.
"[Oscar was] a bit dehydrated but was also a bit overweight just based on visual appearance," he continued.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Arceo noted that the lizard’s scientific species name is Savannah Monitor Varanus exanthematicus.
Oscar, the Savannah monitor, found a new home with the Venom Institute, a nonprofit reptile and amphibian conservation group located in Coal Township, Pennsylvania. (Rudy Arceo/Venom Institute)
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"They are native to West and Central parts of Africa, south of the Sahara," Arceo wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At the time of publication, Oscar’s length is somewhere between 18 and 24 inches, according to Areco.
"They can reach lengths of 2.5 to 4 feet and live 15 to 20 years in captivity with excellent care and husbandry," Areco explained. "Their primary diet is insects and occasionally [they] seek meat as [a] supplement."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Oscar, the Savannah monitor, will become an animal ambassador for education purposed at the Venom Institute. Savannah monitors are a midsize lizard native to Africa. (Rudy Arceo/Venom Institute)
He added, "Once out of a 30-day quarantine Oscar will become an educational ambassador for our outreach education division of Venom Institute."
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Fox News Digital reached out to Speranza Animal Rescue for comment but did not receive a response.