let's not let this be an example of people from Kansas in general...

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Iguana Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Amy on June 13, 2001 at 16:06:33:

In Reply to: Press item: Teen rescues neighborhood from iguana posted by Desiree on June 13, 2001 at 09:09:34:

That story infuriates me! It's one thing to try to bring an iguana down with a ladder, but with a basketball...I'm pi**ed! I even live in Kansas (Manhattan, not Wichita) and of course they're not native to Kansas, but there's no reason for cruelty. Plus, the owner needed to either obtain a license to own it or move away from Wichita (which I'm told is not the most hospitable town, anyway) and KEEP TRACK OF THEIR PETS!!

: Teen rescues neighborhood from iguana
: A quick basketball shot into a tree knocked the lizard loose.
:
: By Carlos Rodriguez And Roy Wenzl
: The Wichita Eagle

: This is a story that's mostly about a lizard but a little about basketball.

: Ready?

: For the past five days, from Friday until Tuesday, there was a loose iguana running around a north Wichita neighborhood.

: Neighborhood residents such as Endelia Rocha and Rosa Garcia watched it run around, eat grass, climb trees. They were a little creeped out.

: It's not that they dislike iguanas. It's just that they know enough about them to know that they can spread salmonella, that they sometimes bite, and that a neighborhood full of curious kids wasn't the best place to have an iguana running around in trees, especially when it looked maybe 3 feet long.

: "What if it comes down and bites one of them?" Garcia asked.

: Rocha and Garcia knew they needed to call Animal Control, but they don't speak English.

: So they talked to Jean Long, an English-speaking neighbor.

: "We've always had lots of cats, opossums or occasional skunks. Now we have iguanas," Long said.

: Long called Animal Control on Monday.

: Nothing happened. Animal Control officials said that at times when Animal Control is short-staffed, as on Monday, a loose iguana is what they call "low priority" compared with stray dogs.

: They made it out to the 2500 block of Rosenthal Avenue on Tuesday, though, and made an effort to capture the lizard.

: In other words, they looked up in the tree where the lizard lay sunning on a limb, and they realized they didn't have a ladder to bring it down.

: They left, to get a ladder.

: At this point, neighborhood residents took matters into their own hands. They gathered basketballs, volleyballs and soccer balls.

: They started tossing them into the tree.

: They missed the lizard. And then Kristian Fernandez decided to get some altitude.

: Kristian , a 16-year-old junior at North High School, climbed onto the roof of his house and crept near the tree.

: He threw a basketball.

: Whop.

: Down came Mr. Iguana.

: Down jumped Fernandez.

: Ten minutes of frantic running around later, Kristian captured Mr. Iguana, bagging him in a pillowcase from his own bed.

: Someone called Animal Control.

: They came back and took the iguana from Kristian. An Animal Control officer carefully checked over Kristian's hands and arms, looking for wounds; he found none.

: Kristian, thinking this was a good bit of work, asked the Animal Control people: "Do I get anything?" Meaning, he said, a reward.

: The Animal Control officer replied: "Hold on." He went to his truck.

: He came back. "Hold out your hands," he said. Kristian held out his hands.

: The officer squeezed a quantity of lotion into Kristian's hands.

: Kristian looked disappointed.

: But he can take solace in one thing.

: At the age of only 16, he has done something with a basketball that not even Michael Jordan has ever done.

: He whopped the iguana.

: Iguanas are not indigenous to Kansas. Ownership of iguanas as pets is prohibited within city limits and can result in a fine up to $500.

: Animal Control will detain the animal for three days. If arrangements to remove this iguana from city limits aren't made by its rightful owner, the animal will be donated to a veterinary clinic outside the city.

: Animal Control can be reached at 268-8473.

Follow Ups:

OKAY, let's make a few clarifications here...more Amy 06/28/01 (0)
Re: people from Kansas in general...can't understand what exactly.... m chambers 06/15/01 (13)
- Sure, it could've been worse.... Mr. D 06/16/01 (0)
- oh puhleaase .......... iZ's mom 06/16/01 (11)
  - Re: oh puhleaase ..........you are WRONG on a reptile causing general panic m chambers 06/16/01 (9)
    - Re: oh puhleaase ..........you are WRONG on a reptile causing general panic Muffins Mom 06/16/01 (6)
      - Re: and I'm disgusted over people having a life so small that they hold.... cd 06/17/01 (5)
        
        Have to make up a fake name and Praise yourself?!n/p Spyro + Sparx Mom 06/18/01 (3)
        
        Re: LOL ! M Chambers said this would happen. As if one cannot go to view , cd or Shawn Curry Devero 06/18/01 (2)
        
        My last post on this subject Shalaney 06/19/01 (1)
        
        Re: My last post on this subject...I didn't say that I that I myself.... m chambers shawn c devero 06/19/01 (0)
        
        Just who do you think you are? Muffins Mom 06/17/01 (0)
    - Re: you are WRONG ... iZ's mom 06/16/01 (1)
      - Re:like some snake people, narrow minded ! Oh ! What am I saying ?.... m chambers 06/16/01 (0)
  - You GO GIRL!Let's hope her children never get stuck in a tree in that city! Thumper 06/16/01 (0)

Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:
: : That story infuriates me! It's one thing to try to bring an iguana down with a ladder, but with a basketball...I'm pi**ed! I even live in Kansas (Manhattan, not Wichita) and of course they're not native to Kansas, but there's no reason for cruelty. Plus, the owner needed to either obtain a license to own it or move away from Wichita (which I'm told is not the most hospitable town, anyway) and KEEP TRACK OF THEIR PETS!! : : : Teen rescues neighborhood from iguana : : A quick basketball shot into a tree knocked the lizard loose. : : : : By Carlos Rodriguez And Roy Wenzl : : The Wichita Eagle : : This is a story that's mostly about a lizard but a little about basketball. : : Ready? : : For the past five days, from Friday until Tuesday, there was a loose iguana running around a north Wichita neighborhood. : : Neighborhood residents such as Endelia Rocha and Rosa Garcia watched it run around, eat grass, climb trees. They were a little creeped out. : : It's not that they dislike iguanas. It's just that they know enough about them to know that they can spread salmonella, that they sometimes bite, and that a neighborhood full of curious kids wasn't the best place to have an iguana running around in trees, especially when it looked maybe 3 feet long. : : "What if it comes down and bites one of them?" Garcia asked. : : Rocha and Garcia knew they needed to call Animal Control, but they don't speak English. : : So they talked to Jean Long, an English-speaking neighbor. : : "We've always had lots of cats, opossums or occasional skunks. Now we have iguanas," Long said. : : Long called Animal Control on Monday. : : Nothing happened. Animal Control officials said that at times when Animal Control is short-staffed, as on Monday, a loose iguana is what they call "low priority" compared with stray dogs. : : They made it out to the 2500 block of Rosenthal Avenue on Tuesday, though, and made an effort to capture the lizard. : : In other words, they looked up in the tree where the lizard lay sunning on a limb, and they realized they didn't have a ladder to bring it down. : : They left, to get a ladder. : : At this point, neighborhood residents took matters into their own hands. They gathered basketballs, volleyballs and soccer balls. : : They started tossing them into the tree. : : They missed the lizard. And then Kristian Fernandez decided to get some altitude. : : Kristian , a 16-year-old junior at North High School, climbed onto the roof of his house and crept near the tree. : : He threw a basketball. : : Whop. : : Down came Mr. Iguana. : : Down jumped Fernandez. : : Ten minutes of frantic running around later, Kristian captured Mr. Iguana, bagging him in a pillowcase from his own bed. : : Someone called Animal Control. : : They came back and took the iguana from Kristian. An Animal Control officer carefully checked over Kristian's hands and arms, looking for wounds; he found none. : : Kristian, thinking this was a good bit of work, asked the Animal Control people: "Do I get anything?" Meaning, he said, a reward. : : The Animal Control officer replied: "Hold on." He went to his truck. : : He came back. "Hold out your hands," he said. Kristian held out his hands. : : The officer squeezed a quantity of lotion into Kristian's hands. : : Kristian looked disappointed. : : But he can take solace in one thing. : : At the age of only 16, he has done something with a basketball that not even Michael Jordan has ever done. : : He whopped the iguana. : : Iguanas are not indigenous to Kansas. Ownership of iguanas as pets is prohibited within city limits and can result in a fine up to $500. : : Animal Control will detain the animal for three days. If arrangements to remove this iguana from city limits aren't made by its rightful owner, the animal will be donated to a veterinary clinic outside the city. : : Animal Control can be reached at 268-8473.

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Iguana Forum ] [ FAQ ]