New Delhi, Jun 7 (IANS): A monitor lizard that was stuck in a wired fence at the premises of Honda car manufacturing unit in Greater Noida was rescued with the efforts of alert employees there.

The monitor lizard was trapped at that premises on Sunday and after its rescue, its health was monitored, after which it was released on Monday, a statement from the Wildlife SOS said on Tuesday.

The 3-foot-long monitor lizard was found stuck in the fence of the garden inside the factory premises on Sunday. Concerned for the reptile's safety, one of the employees called the Wildlife SOS 24-hour helpline (91 9871963535).

The conservation and rescue NGO's Rapid Response Unit reached the location with rescue gear and carefully extricated the distressed lizard. "The team was very cautious as they wanted to avoid agitating the animal further. It took the team nearly an hour to safely remove the reptile from the fence," it said.

The monitor lizard had sustained injuries on its right forelimb. The NGO's veterinary team provided topical medication for the injury and kept the lizard under medical observation. "Once declared fit, it was safely released into its natural habitat on Monday," it added.

Fragmentation and encroachment of habitats of wildlife are increasing the interactions between humans and wild animals. Wildlife SOS said it works to mitigate conflict and raise awareness through the numerous rescues it carries out every month and appealed to people to call its team if an animal in distress is spotted by common citizens anywhere.

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS said, "A large part of this rescue operation was possible because concerned citizens took the onus upon themselves."

In another incident, the Wildlife SOS Rapid Response Unit rescued two Indian wolf snakes from an empty water tank in Delhi's Subhash Nagar area.