HOME NEWS TRIBUNE (East Brunswick, New Jersey) 20 June 06 Highland Park cops catch escaped iguana
Highland Park: It wasn't your everyday police call.
Two of Highland Park's finest had to corral a 3 1/2-foot iguana until animal-control officers could arrive to lasso the lizard that was reportedly crawling in the street yesterday afternoon.
Rolling up to Cleveland Avenue near River Road, officers found the errant reptile soaking up sun in front of a residence.
Sitting still, the docile creature made it easy for the officers: All they had to was keep an eye on it to make sure it didn't bolt away.
A curious Cleveland Avenue resident said the iguana is owned by his neighbor and must have escaped from the house.
Not a fan of reptiles, though, the resident quickly disappeared into his own home.
After sitting quietly on the sidewalk, the lizard crawled into a flower bed when officers took some steps forward.
But the iguana's demeanor took a turn when a New Brunswick Animal Control van showed up about half an hour later. Using a stick with a loop on the end, animal control officers secured the creature, which responded by rolling over several times and lashing its sizable tail violently.
"Like a switch," one police officer called out.
But soon the iguana was placed in a cage and driven away.
"We get them with college students quite a bit," said one of the animal control workers, who did not want to be identified.
Yet a police patrolman, who also did not want to be identified, said an escaped lizard was a first for him.
"Raccoons, dogs," he said, "but not an iguana."
Police and Animal Control officers did not provide additional information about the incident.
According to www.about.com, iguanas are likely the most popular pet lizards and can reach several feet in length. The exotic pet can live 20 years or more.
Baby iguanas are cheap and sold in large quantities by pet stores. Some sellers do little to prepare prospective owners for the commitment required to properly care for iguanas, which need a lot of living space, according to the Web site.
Highland Park cops catch escaped iguana