Two monitor lizards mating at Government House had a horde of media people rushing to record them yesterday.

For some it was a rare occurrence, even though lizard are often spotted inside the compound. But for others, it was inauspicious and even a bad omen ahead of the birth of the country's new Cabinet.

The reptiles, each measuring over one metre, were spotted in a pond behind the Thai Kufah Building, which houses the offices of the prime minister and other senior Cabinet members.

To the superstitious, the presence of a monitor lizard is believed to augur bad luck. The mating lizards at Government House, therefore, might bode ill for the next government.

Witnesses said they mated for more than two hours. Although monitor lizards are seen in the compound occasionally, mating scenes were quite rare. An unknown number of monitor lizards inhabit the sewers and canals around Government House.

The Nation