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An inspector with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation located the ad offering a five-and-a-half-foot Asian water monitor lizard for sale in mid-May.
The seller, who initially listed the unusual animal for $1,400, stated he would negotiate down to $1,000, the DEC said.
The investigator reached out to the seller via email, posing as an interested purchaser, and made plans to meet the seller in Sullivan County on Tuesday, May 16.
On that date, two investigators met with the seller while a DEC officer waited nearby.
After taking the animal into their possession, the officers identified themselves and issued an appearance ticket to the seller for illegally selling a wild animal as a pet, a misdemeanor due to the purchase price.
The Asian water monitor was taken to a reptile facility with the required licenses for such an animal.
In New York State, DEC requires a Dangerous Animal License to keep Asian water monitors along with several other species of animals.
"The license is only issued for scientific, educational, exhibition, zoological, or propagation purposes, not for keeping these animals as pets," the DEC said. "Furthermore, there are several requirements for obtaining the license such as proper facilities and caging, insurance coverage, marking or tagging the animal so that it can be uniquely identified, and other criteria.
"This licensing process helps ensure dangerous animals will not cause a threat to public health and safety, or to indigenous fish and wildlife populations."
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