 Now for part two of Sam's story. Kale screwed the lid back onto the bucket, put the snakes away, and came back holding a Gila monster in his tongs. Michael explained that Gila monsters are also highly venomous, but that doesn't stop people from trying to keep them as pets, which, Michael made sure to clarify, is illegal. In fact, it is illegal to perturb a Gila monster, to disrupt its path, to move it, to touch it in any way.