PERSONAL MISSION

In 2000, I rescued animals caught by hunters and subsequently freed them, but these hunters, who were under the impression that I was keen on keeping these lizards as “pets”, were dismayed and appeared to once again resort to butchering these animals as liquor food (pulutan) instead of handing them to me only to be released back.

So, when I received another individual in 2001, which came from the town of Sta. Maria, I started keeping it on a long-term basis while releasing subsequent captured animals whose disappearances in my possession was cloaked under the pretext of them dying or being sent to friends.

This animal, remaining under my care until its death in 2014, had white patterning instead of the usual yellow, with obscure shoulder and nape markings, and a predominantly white throat with scant black spots. At that time, I still referred to the animal as V. marmoratus but of now the supposition that it is V. dalubhasa.

From the same time period, I had the opportunity to observe two V. nuchalis in captivity; this species, of course, is the putative nearest relative of V. dalubhasa. Upon first seeing the former species in the flesh, I immediately noticed the atypical nostril placement; compared with monitors I have seen from both Luzon and Mindoro, as well as the Mindanaoan V. cumingi, the nostrils are positioned close to the middle of the snout, further back from the snout tip as in the case of the other water monitor taxa. Indeed, the nostril placement reminds me of the unrelated Dumeril’s monitor (V. dumerilii) than it is to varanids from the V. salvator complex.