Leapin’ Lizard! Iguana Captured After Valley Chase

During 11 years in the business, Spokane County Animal Control Director Nancy Sattin has seen pot-bellied pigs, pygmy goats, albino snakes and boa constrictors carried through the doors of the shelter.

But the 3-1/2-foot lizard one of her officers captured recently in Greenacres was the first iguana to come to the shelter.

Animal control officer Becky Nelson took the call last Friday, when the male iguana was reported in a yard near the corner of Mission and Aladdin.

“The chase went up and down a couple of trees and through the bushes,” said Sattin, who suspects the reptile was loose no more than a day or two.

The iguana is staying at the home of a volunteer and reptile expert until claimed by its owner, Sattin said. The pet can be claimed by calling the shelter, at 458-2532.

Iguanas, which are native to South America, are increasingly popular pets. The Associated Press recently reported that 570,000 iguanas were imported to the United States in 1994 compared to 41,000 in 1982.

Even the family in the comic strip Fox Trot owns one.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that iguanas can spead salmonella infections to children. The number of cases increased from one in 1989 to 67 nationwide in 1995.

Sattin expects to deal with more iguanas as people grow weary of providing the constant heat and other special care they require.

Many iguanas are sold when they’re the size of pencils.

“But they grow into two-by-fours,” Sattin noted.

, DataTimes