Did anyone see the animal planet documentary called fatal attractions and alien invaders? Both were strongly against exotic pet owners, senator Bill Nelson was part of it. It was sponsored by the Humane society of America.
Did you watch the show that ran after it? It sensationalized two cases where the owners death was caused by the reptiles they kept. The one that really bothered me was the case involving the monitors. The guy got bit by one of them while feeding and instead of seeking medical help he died in his apartment from an infection. The monitors then began eating his body (they were free-roaming) because they were starving. That's not the monitors fault!
That's not the true story either. That guy died of a heart attack and natural causes not from a monitor bite. He was found around 1 week to 10 days after his death and the animals, doing what comes natural yes had fed on him. I heard in that show they also said he owned Komodo dragons and that's what killed him and ate him. :laugh:Hello Animal Planet!!! They're not legal to own in the US without a zoo permit!!! He owned Nile monitors.
Amazing just how wrong a show /tv station can be when being paid off to spread a toxic word to ban exotic pets.
Of course you could die from a monitor bite. They now know that monitors (at least some species, it's not clear how many) are venomous. The venom destroys tissue, and monitors tend to have dirty mouths, so there's plenty of potential there for very serious infection.
Just a side note about your subject tailswithscales. First of all, it is true that poison dart frogs loose their poison in captivity, but scientist/herpetologist have not discovered why and suspect it to be related to there diet which they are unaware of what part of there diet gives them there poison. Second of all, monitors have been known to cary large amounts of bacteria in there mouth which can mimic poision, kinda like the komodo dragon which has a lethal bite due to bacteria. I have read that the monitors diet plays a big part in this "bacteria" build up in the mouth, and so a captive monitor would likely have considerably lower bacteria, &/or a less potent bacteria in the mouth. Am I right? I am not claiming to be a pro here but just some things I have picked up over the years.