Animal Services

Zilla the Tegu Lizard Reunites With Owner in Riverside County

The exotic tegu lizard and her owner were reunited Wednesday, after being separated since Sunday.

An exotic tegu lizard named Zilla was reunited with her owner Wednesday after the lizard was found roaming in a Fontana yard over the weekend.

The lizard's owner, Roberto Robles, was tipped off by a friend that a Jurupa Valley animal shelter was housing his "plump" pet, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

Robles immediately called the department to retrieve his beloved reptile.

The supervising Animal Services officer at the Fontana Police Department, Jamie Simmons, went to Robles' house in Bloomington to verify that he was the owner.

The lucky lizard and Robles were reunited at the Jurupa Valley shelter Wednesday morning.

"He held (the lizard) like a baby," Riverside County Department of Animal Services spokesman John Welsh said.

"He's happy to have his pet back," he said.

While separated from her owner, Zilla was housed in the shelter's "Critter Corner," Welsh said. The space was built specifically to house exotic pets like Zilla.

She "seemed very docile ... she was used to being held," Welsh said.

It was not immediately clear how the lizard went from Bloomington to a Fontana yard.

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