ROMPIN: In one of the most uncommon reptile attacks, an adult monitor lizard bit an eight-month-old girl and tried to drag her away in Tioman Island.
The lizard had sunk its teeth into the girl's head and tried to take her out of the staff quarters of a holiday resort into nearby bushes early Monday.
The infant was saved when her loud cries attracted the attention of her mother, Nor Raudah Abdullah, 38, who rushed to her aid.
Rompin OCPD Deputy Supt Johari Jahaya said Nor Raudah, a housewife, had left Nur Hidayah Abdul Rahman in the kitchen when she heard her cries from the living room.
"When she rushed to check on her, she was shocked to see the monitor lizard with its sharp claws trying to drag her out.
"She hit the lizard, forcing it to release its grip before chasing it away," DSP Johari said.
The girl was bleeding and nearby villagers sent her to the health clinic in Kampung Tekek.
Her father Abdul Rahman Ismail, 38, decided to lodge a police report over the incident.
DSP Johari said the 9kg baby girl is in a stable condition.
"She has been transferred to the Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru for further treatment," he said.
