LEMOORE ADVANCE (California) 21 September 06 Lemoore's 'Iguana Hunter' in action (Judy Finney)
The call came into the Lemoore Police Department at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12. Big iguana illegally skinny-dipping in a pool on Orangewood Court.
LPD's Community Service Officer and Animal Control Officer, Ray "The Iguana Hunter" Fratus was off like, well, an iguana hunter.
According to Fratus, the pool's owner said the reptile had been making use of his pool for several hours.
"The pool owner had tried to wait the creature out," said Fratus. "But, according to the owner, the iguana had simply dived under the water and stayed submerged."
When Fratus approached the pool, the iguana, all 38-inches of it, who had been floating, enjoying the sun, swam again to the pool's bottom.
"I could see him (it was later determined the iguana is a she) looking up at me," said Fratus. "He wasn't going to come up. He could sure swim though."
Fratus, re-telling the event from his office at the police department, put the palms of his hands together to mimic how the iguana glided along the bottom of the pool.
"So, I had to get the net," Fratus said. "It didn't take long, just swooped him up and pulled him out."
That's when things got a little rough.
"He has got claws," said Fratus. "So, I had to make sure I had him secured pretty good on both ends so he wouldn't claw me and that tail of his, he was whipping it around. That can be pretty rough."
Once the subject was secured in a cage, she was transferred to a holding cell at Lemoore's Animal House. Fratus said he was amazed by the way the handler at the local pet shop worked with the animal.
"He just reached right into the cage and pulled him out," laughed Fratus.
At the pet shop, in the back room, in a corner cage, the iguana squinted at some fluffy kittens frolicking in a nearby cage, but kept mum. Aaron Sanchez, an employee at the Animal House who was taking care of her said she was a vegetarian.
"She's between 2 and 4-1/2 years old," said Sanchez.
According to Sanchez, iguana's take a lot of care - including space to grow, lots of attention to keep them tame, special heating and UV lighting. Sanchez said iguanas grow according to the amount of space allotted to them and people should think quite awhile before taking one on as a pet.
LPD Cmdr. Jeff Laws said the iguana would stay as a "guest" at Animal House for about two weeks. If no one claims it then it would probably become considered abandoned property.
As for the iguana, after considerable questioning under strong and heated lights, she still wasn't talking.
Lemoore's 'Iguana Hunter' in action