LIVERPOOL ECHO (UK) 31 August 04 Escaped iguana found up 50 ft tree (Deborah James)
A five foot-long iguana was left to spend the night stuck up a tree in a suburban Liverpool garden yesterday after both the RSPCA and fire brigade admitted they did not know how to get it down.
Neighbours spotted the reptile clinging to a branch 50ft up a leylandii tree in the garden of a semi-detached house in on Woolton Lane, Garston, at around 11am yesterday morning.
The green iguana, named Dino, went missing from a nearby house on Garfourth Drive. Three weeks ago, it broke out of its plastic-fronted cage, known as a terrerium, which had been kept under the stairs in the house.
Last night, owner Cheryl Owen told the Daily Post she feared the animal had died when it did not return home immediately.
Miss Owen said: "I was absolutely distraught when he went missing, my animals are like my family.
"He has escaped a few times before, but he's only made it as far as the conservatory. I was absolutely sick with worry.
"I put posters up all round the area, but no one had seen him. I thought he must have died."
The 45-year-old caterer also owns two cats and 10 Pekingese dogs, which she used to breed and show competitively.
She rescued the iguana seven years ago from its previous owner, a woman who had mistakenly bought it as a pet for her son not realising the animals eventually grow to around 6ft 6ins long.
She said: "He was only about 24ins when I got him, and he still has a bit of growing left to do. I had a female iguana called Babe that I got as a baby, but she died last year.
"Dino was never very sociable, but he is really important to me. I was so relieved when my neighbours said they'd spotted him, but now I'm really worried he will die.
"He escaped three weeks ago when it was really warm weather, but now it's getting colder and he hasn't eaten for three weeks.
"I can see him from my back garden and he is just clinging on to the end of a branch. I hope he is strong enough to hold on because the wind is picking up."
The iguana, estimated to weigh about 22lb (10kg), was spotted by 27-year-old beautician Leanne Verdin and her cousin, Gaynor Taylor, 32, up a tree in the garden of 55-year-old retired tannery worker George Harris.
His property, on Woolton Lane, backs on to Miss Owen's next door neighbour.
Mr Harris called the fire brigade, who attended with the RSPCA since they are not trained to deal with "vicious animals".
Ann Grain, spokeswoman for the RSPCA, said: "The iguana was about 50ft up the tree, too high for our officers to climb up. The decision was made to leave it there.
"Iguanas are tree dwelling animals and it will come down eventually when it is hungry. Our officer has told the owner to keep an eye on it and, when it does start to climb down, to call us immediately and we will come out and get it down."
Escaped iguana found up 50 ft tree