A feisty reptile has been given a second shot at life after a daring rescue and emergency surgery.

The lace monitor was plucked from a tree off Michelangelo Drive, at Redlynch, by a snake catcher who feared it had been injured because its leg looked swollen.

But getting him down was no easy feat for snake-turned goanna catcher David Walton.

The goanna, nicknamed Michelangelo or Mick, put up a hell of a fight.

Mr Walton climbed up his 12m ladder but had to jump into the tree and chase Mick as he climbed higher.

"I was 50 feet (about 15m) in the air and thought, 'Oh man'. Then I just grabbed him and he grabbed me."

Mick's "massive sharp claws and a mouthful of teeth" tore Mr Walton's long-sleeved shirt and dug into his leather gloves as they made their way down.

"He gave me hell," Mr Walton said. But the goanna was just scared and hurting from a massive tumour on his left front leg that extended to his neck.

"It looked like a potato and it smelled because it was infected. It was terrible."

Mr Walton took the reptile to Redlynch Valley Vets.

Veterinarian Liza Sergeev said the decision had to be made whether to euthanase or try to save the 1.5m-long reptile, which was underweight at 4.6kg.

"Mick is very bright and wants to live and has a bit of fight, that's why we wanted to save him. There was nothing to lose," Dr Sergeev said.

It was his only chance of survival as the tumour had stilted his mobility, hindered his ability to feed himself and was infected with maggots.

The 90 minute pro bono surgery on Tuesday, her first on a goanna, went smoothly and the 380g tumour was removed.

"It was humungous, it was just under 10 per cent of his body weight," she said.

"But he's really bright and using his leg. He's hissing at me so that’s a good sign."

Mick has 12 stitches and the wound is expected to heal slowly.

A carer would tend to the reptile during his recovery and it was hoped he would be released back into the wild in six weeks.

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