Bangkok’s water monitor lizards have become one of Lumpini Park’s defining sights, with around 400 living in the city’s green heart and drawing visitors as well as concern.
An unexpected Bangkok landmark
Lumpini Park has become one of Bangkok’s most unusual visitor draws. Around 400 water monitor lizards live in the park today, and some reach two metres in length. For many visitors, the chance to see Bangkok’s water monitor lizards has turned an ordinary city walk into a wildlife sighting.
The park is still a place for runners, older people practising tai-chi, and yoga sessions at dawn. But it is also now home to large reptiles moving along the paths, climbing trees, or cooling off in the park canals. On occasion, a runner can even stumble over a fast young lizard.
From feared animal to social media star
In Thai culture, the water monitor lizard, known as “hia”, carried a bad reputation for centuries. The word itself was considered one of the harshest swear words. That image changed in 2021, when a video of a six-metre lizard climbing the shelves of a convenience store spread across TikTok and Instagram.
Since then, residents and tourists have grown more friendly toward the animals, and their presence has been treated as a tourist attraction. Bangkok’s water monitor lizards are now part of the city’s modern image, not just its wildlife.
Why the reptiles thrive
The water monitor lizard is the world’s second-largest lizard species, after the Komodo dragon. Despite its size and intimidating look, it is practically harmless to people. It mainly eats fish, birds, chickens, and carrion, which helps keep city canal ecosystems in order.
Bangkok has more than 1,600 canals, and they create ideal conditions for the species to multiply. City authorities monitor the population closely. In an ideal case, the number in the park should stay below 400, but the many eggs laid by the animals allow the population to rebuild quickly.
Management, limits, and a new statue
Officials have sometimes captured some of the animals and moved them to breeding stations in Ratchaburi province. In 2025, Bangkok authorities also placed a statue of a monitor lizard in the park, underlining its role in local nature.
At the same time, there are concerns about safety. The reptiles can frighten runners or cause accidents on the paths. The government is also considering commercial breeding of monitor lizards for the leather industry to reduce illegal capture from the wild. So far, permits have been issued for about 200 animals, all from official breeding stations.
A symbol of Bangkok’s contrasts
For many residents and visitors, a monitor lizard sighting is now part of everyday life in the park. A lizard bathing in a fountain or basking in the sun has become a symbol of Bangkok itself: a modern metropolis that still makes room for wild nature in the middle of the city.
