This photo from the official Facebook page of the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden shows a water monitor lizard named Aberdeen, which went missing on Aug 11, 2023.

Staff at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden have appealed for help in tracing a 1.5-meter-long water monitor (Varanus salvator) which went missing last Friday. 

Though the water monitor is not believed to be aggressive, staff at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden cautioned the public not to try to catch it

The water monitor – called Aberdeen – slinked away by pushing down a plank of the barrier fence while it was receiving treatment for a wound in its toes. The garden, on the northern slopes of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong's highest mountain, near the town of Tai Po, has reported the monitor’s absence to the authorities.

Though the lizard is not believed to be aggressive, Kadoorie staff cautioned the public not to try to catch it.

The lizard was rescued during an illegal pet trade raid and was then homed at Kadoorie Farm, where it has been a star attraction for the past eight years.

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The animal's caretakers have been searching for days without luck. Staff say it may have been injured or killed on the road when searching for food, and appealed to the public for any information.