By Mead Gruver -
The Associated Press
A Colorado man died after being bitten by his pet Gila monster.
It would be a rare death from the bite of one of these desert lizards, if the creature's venom turns out to have been the cause.
Christopher Ward, 34, was taken to a hospital shortly after being bitten by one of his two Gila monsters on February 12.
Lakewood Police Department spokesman John Romero reported Tuesday that he
was placed on a ventilator
shortly after and died last Friday.
A Gila monster is displayed at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle on Dec. 14, 2018. Associated Press
Jefferson County coroners declined Tuesday to comment on the death.
They also did not say whether tests already showed whether Ward had died from the pet's venom or some other medical reason.
Ward's girlfriend turned over the lizard named Winston and another named Potato to Lakewood Animal Control Officer Leesha Crookston and other officers the day after the bite.
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Ward's girlfriend claimed to authorities that she heard something that "didn't sound right" and entered a room, where she saw Winston
biting Ward's hand
, according to Crookston's report.
The woman explained to officers that Ward “immediately began showing symptoms, vomited several times, and eventually passed out and stopped breathing,” the report stated.
Ward was admitted to a hospital and a few days later doctors declared him brain dead.
Ward's girlfriend explained to agents that they had purchased Winston at a reptile show in Denver in October, and Potato from an Arizona breeder in November, according to the animal control agent's report.
When informed that Gila monsters
were illegal in Lakewood
, the woman assured officers that she wanted them out of her home as soon as possible, according to the report.
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Agents working with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources sent the lizards to Reptile Gardens, outside Rapid City, South Dakota.
They also took 26 spiders of different species from the house to a nearby animal shelter.
Gila monsters are venomous reptiles that naturally occur in parts of the southwestern United States and neighboring areas of Mexico.
Their bites
can cause intense pain and cause their victims to faint
, but are usually not fatal.