THE MERCURY (Pottstown, Pennsylvania) 28 July 06 Pottstown family hopes for return of lost lizard (Sarah Fleener)
Pottstown: A pet, of Godzilla like proportions, is roaming the streets of the north end.
Well, maybe not quite Godzilla, but definitely mini-dragon. And if not roaming, then it’s likely sunbathing.
The lizard in all fairness is not a lizard at all, but a Savannah Monitor, a relative of the Komodo Dragon, the largest reptile species in the world. It hails from Africa.
"Blade" wandered out of her owner’s sight last Wednesday on Spruce Street, The two were in the back yard, when Yolanda Landis went inside to answer the phone. "I came back, and she was gone," she said.Blade hasn’t been seen since.
A zoologist told Landis Blade is probably closer than they think, and that he can’t imagine her getting farther away than a block. "She likes to be under things," said Landis. "And she sort of just moseys around."
Naturally, the animal will want to burrow under sheds, porches or bushes, and may come out to sun herself during the day, said Landis.
But despite the start an unsuspecting gardener might get from her, Landis and her daughter, Chastine Contastathes, insist Blade is a sweetheart -- despite its looks and less than cuddly name.
Blade was found two years ago by Contastathes, curled up under a lawn mower in a friend’s back yard -- hence the name. Contastathes took the lizard home in a shoe box, because the monitor was just a baby then.
Landis said she wasn’t thrilled about her daughter’s rescue. "Mostly because it eats whole, live mice," she said.
But Blade quickly grew on her, literally and figuratively. Today, the animal is 30 inches long and weighs 6 pounds - the shoe box has been upgraded to a 5-foot cage, and "that lizard" has been upgraded to a full-fledged family member.
"She has such a personality," said Landis. She’ll hiss sweetly, give kisses with her long, forked tongue and is paper trained. "And she’s loving," added Contastathes.
Blade is not only loving to her humans, she’s loving to her co-pets -- Sofia the dog and Shadow the cat.
"They miss her," said Landis of the cat and dog. She points to a picture of Shadow sitting forlornly in Blade’s empty cage.
"If you’ve never owned a reptile before, you have no idea how interactive they can be," said Mitch Rubenstein, owner of Exotic and Aquatic, 256 E. High St.
And he should know.
Rubenstein spends most of his day surrounded by the creatures. A bearded dragon has been known to hitch a ride on his shirt, and an infant American Alligator looks to him for lunch -- not as lunch, even though it is a meat eater.
The monitor is also a meat eater, and Rubenstein said, "They are the pit bull of the reptile world."
For this reason, who ever finds Blade should be careful about approaching her.
"It’s probably scared, and hungry, and generally out of its comfort zone," Rubenstein said. "If you went to grab it, and it didn’t want to be grabbed, it can put a hurt on ya," he said.
Landis and Contastathes said Blade has never bit anyone, but she does have teeth, so the best option is to call them, or animal control, if you find her.
"They will know how to handle the animal," said Rubenstein.
Blade’s owners are fearful that after this much time, she might have been hit by a car, a scared gardener’s shovel or even taken in by others.
"If someone has found her, bring her back. We just really want her back," said Landis, who is offering a cash reward upon the reptile’s return.
Pottstown family hopes for return of lost lizard