KY Press:Woman searches desperately for iguana

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Posted by Desiree on November 03, 2001 at 00:22:47:

Woman searches desperately for iguana

By LAURIE L. OGLE

Staff Writer

Donna Nazario never thought she could love a lizard, but she developed a passion for iguanas when her son introduced her to one several years ago.

"I realized they're not near as bad as I thought they were,'' Nazario said.

She also never thought she'd have an iguana of her own, until she met Taz. That was four years ago, and the pair have been inseparable ever since.

Until Oct. 7.

Taz disappeared from her North Main Street home in Elizabethtown, and Nazario, her husband and friends have looked everywhere for the gentle giant.

"At one point, I'd even made a police report,'' Nazario said.

Taz is "very green'' and hard to miss at 31/2 feet long, but he's not likely roaming the streets.

Nazario thinks someone took him from the family's yard, where he loves to sunbathe, one day when the Nazarios had to rush their daughter to the emergency room.

"I knew someone had gotten him because he always comes back,'' Nazario said.

Based on information she was able to gather from witnesses who have come forward in response to an ad she has been running, Nazario thinks a man in an older model, black pickup truck took Taz from her yard. He may have had a big dog, like a Rottweiler, in the back.

All the Nazarios can do now is make a public plea that whoever has him will return him to his family.

Taz, you see, was no ordinary iguana, Nazario said.

"He'd go to the door when he needed to go out,'' she said. She'd let Taz follow the sun as it crossed the yard over the day, basking on a vine-covered fence or in the trees. When he was ready to come in, he'd go back to the door, she said.

And why wouldn't he come back? The Nazarios think of him as part of their family, letting him have the run of the place. His favorite "spots" are on the waterbed, headboard and back of the couch, and he is fond of lolling in the tub.

"He loves his hot shower,'' Nazario said, adding that he'd walk a mile, too, for a green grape. "He loves his green grapes more than anything.''

If Nazario needed to bring Taz inside, she also knew how to lure him - shaking a jar of multi-colored iguana vitamins near him.

"He would literally get down out of the tree for them,'' she said.

Lori Wiseman, Nazario's aunt, said she thought the world of Taz herself.

"He's just a big old baby,'' Wiseman said, adding that she used to hold him in her arms like he was a baby.

Although Taz is her niece's pet, she loves the iguana as if it were hers.

"It bothers me, too,'' Wiseman said of Taz's disappearance. "It's hard to think that someone would just come by and scoop him up.''

Taking care of an iguana is no easy task, according to iguana expert Melissa Kaplan's Web site. They need particular food, light and heat and vigilance over their environment.

Nazario said she can only pray that whoever has Taz is taking proper care of him, but she mostly hopes that they will have the heart to return him, no questions asked.

"I've tried everything,'' Nazario said. "Short of skywriting it, I don't know what else to do.''

Laurie Ogle can be reached at 769-1200, Ext. 241, or e-mail her at llogle@mail.the-ne.com.

Woman searches desperately for iguana

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She sounds pretty stupid.... xta 11/03/01 (0)

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: Woman searches desperately for iguana : : By LAURIE L. OGLE : Staff Writer : Donna Nazario never thought she could love a lizard, but she developed a passion for iguanas when her son introduced her to one several years ago. : "I realized they're not near as bad as I thought they were,'' Nazario said. : She also never thought she'd have an iguana of her own, until she met Taz. That was four years ago, and the pair have been inseparable ever since. : Until Oct. 7. : Taz disappeared from her North Main Street home in Elizabethtown, and Nazario, her husband and friends have looked everywhere for the gentle giant. : "At one point, I'd even made a police report,'' Nazario said. : Taz is "very green'' and hard to miss at 31/2 feet long, but he's not likely roaming the streets. : Nazario thinks someone took him from the family's yard, where he loves to sunbathe, one day when the Nazarios had to rush their daughter to the emergency room. : "I knew someone had gotten him because he always comes back,'' Nazario said. : Based on information she was able to gather from witnesses who have come forward in response to an ad she has been running, Nazario thinks a man in an older model, black pickup truck took Taz from her yard. He may have had a big dog, like a Rottweiler, in the back. : All the Nazarios can do now is make a public plea that whoever has him will return him to his family. : Taz, you see, was no ordinary iguana, Nazario said. : "He'd go to the door when he needed to go out,'' she said. She'd let Taz follow the sun as it crossed the yard over the day, basking on a vine-covered fence or in the trees. When he was ready to come in, he'd go back to the door, she said. : And why wouldn't he come back? The Nazarios think of him as part of their family, letting him have the run of the place. His favorite "spots" are on the waterbed, headboard and back of the couch, and he is fond of lolling in the tub. : "He loves his hot shower,'' Nazario said, adding that he'd walk a mile, too, for a green grape. "He loves his green grapes more than anything.'' : If Nazario needed to bring Taz inside, she also knew how to lure him - shaking a jar of multi-colored iguana vitamins near him. : "He would literally get down out of the tree for them,'' she said. : Lori Wiseman, Nazario's aunt, said she thought the world of Taz herself. : "He's just a big old baby,'' Wiseman said, adding that she used to hold him in her arms like he was a baby. : Although Taz is her niece's pet, she loves the iguana as if it were hers. : "It bothers me, too,'' Wiseman said of Taz's disappearance. "It's hard to think that someone would just come by and scoop him up.'' : Taking care of an iguana is no easy task, according to iguana expert Melissa Kaplan's Web site. They need particular food, light and heat and vigilance over their environment. : Nazario said she can only pray that whoever has Taz is taking proper care of him, but she mostly hopes that they will have the heart to return him, no questions asked. : "I've tried everything,'' Nazario said. "Short of skywriting it, I don't know what else to do.'' : Laurie Ogle can be reached at 769-1200, Ext. 241, or e-mail her at llogle@mail.the-ne.com.

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