Colo. Man Dies After Being Bitten by Venomous Pet Gila Monster: 'They Can Hold on Like a Bulldog'

Christopher Ward's girlfriend caught one of his Gila monsters latched onto his hand on Feb. 12, according to reports

• Christopher Ward, 34, died on Friday after he was bitten by one of his two pet Gila monsters, according to multiple outlets

• The Jefferson County Coroner's Office reportedly said his cause of death is pending

• Although their painful bites cause victims to pass out, Gila monster bites usually do not cause death, per the Associated Press

A 34-year-old Colorado man died last week after he was bitten by one of his venomous pet Gila monsters.

Christopher Ward was bitten by one of his two lizards on Feb. 12 in Lakewood, the Associated Press and The Denver Post reported. He was hospitalized but died on Friday, per the AP.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office said the man's cause of death is pending, according to NBC affiliate KUSA.

PEOPLE has reached out to the Lakewood Police Department for comment. The coroner's office declined to comment.

Ward’s girlfriend told police she entered a room in the home after hearing something that “didn’t sound right” and spotted one pet Gila monster named Winston latched on his hand, according to the AP and The Denver Post.

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The girlfriend said Ward “immediately began exhibiting symptoms, vomiting several times and eventually passing out and ceasing to breathe,” according to Lakewood animal control officer Leesha Crookston's report, per the AP.

Ward was taken to St. Anthony Hospital, put on life support and eventually died, The Denver Post reported.

Ward's girlfriend told investigators that the couple bought Winston at a reptile exhibit in October and their other Gila monster from a breeder in Arizona, per the AP, citing the report.

According to KUSA, it's illegal to own Gila monsters in Colorado without a permit. It remains unclear if the pair had the permits in place.

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When told that the lizards were illegal in Lakewood, the AP reported that the girlfriend told officers she wanted the pets out of her house as soon as possible.

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The lizards have now been sent to Reptile Gardens in South Dakota, according to the AP and The Denver Post.

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The desert reptiles naturally inhabit parts of the southwestern U.S. and neighboring areas of Mexico, the AP noted. And while their painful bites cause victims to pass out, they usually do not cause death, per the news agency.

“When they bite, they have strong closing muscles so they can hold on like a bulldog,” Dr. Stephen Mackessy, a professor of biology at the University of Northern Colorado, told Fox affiliate KDVR.

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