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Discover how a lizard took a store (and the world) by storm
Staff and customers of a Thailand 7-Eleven hid behind the counter while the lizard that had emerged from a nearby canal, entered the store and climbed the shelves, scattering items as it went. Shocked customer Narumpa Tangsin said:
‘I only stopped at the shop to buy some food and then saw the huge monitor lizard inside. I wanted to buy a drink but the animal was too close to the drinks aisle. They’re dangerous animals, so I stayed back and recorded it on my phone’
The video was uploaded on 7th April 2021 and was licensed the same day multiple times, spreading around the world and becoming a viral hit incredibly quickly.
In the news
NBC’s Today Show aired the clip, The Today show has an average viewership of around 3 million people. Adding: A store employee called the police who then brought reptile handlers to catch the Godzilla-esque creature. The handlers dragged the lizard out of the store and lured it towards a nearby brush.
‘You can see some pretty wild things in 24 hour convenience stores but this would take some topping’
As entertainment
CBS’s Late Show aired the clip, Late Show has an average viewership of around 3 million people. and the clip was also shared on the Late Show's Youtube channel, gaining 1 million views and was shared over 100 times from the Late Show’s facebook page.
What happened next?
B-roll footage was later uploaded to Newsflare, giving context to the event, showing inside the supermarket and the surrounding area.
Shortly after the original footage was captured, the rescue team arrived at the shop on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok and removed the monitor lizard from the store before ushering it away into nearby undergrowth.
Despite its rampage through the grocery shop, the monitor lizard had not managed to take any food. The unusually large creature is believed to have struggled to find food outside, following months of dry weather with little rain.