Authorities say a Colorado man is dead after being bitten by his pet Gila monster. Lakewood police say 34-year-old Christopher Ward died in a hospital Friday, four days after the bite by the venomous lizard. If confirmed, the death would be a rare case of someone dying from a Gila monster, which live in the southwestern U.S. Gila monster bites can cause intense pain but aren’t normally deadly. Jefferson County coroner's officials declined to comment, including whether tests showed yet whether the man died from the lizard's venom or some other medical condition. Officers took the lizard and one other to a sanctuary in South Dakota.
