An iguana named Godzilla has been reunited with her owners after she was stolen from a SoCal pet shop Monday afternoon.
The three-foot-long tamed reptile was taken from her outdoor enclosure in front of the Paramount Pet Entertainment store earlier this week, the owner said. She was returned by another pet shop owner on Wednesday.
"It feels like our family is full again," said Holly Cepeda, owner of Paramount Pets.
Surveillance footage shows a man reach inside the enclosure and walk away with the iguana in daylight. Godzilla can be seen whipping her tail and scratching the thief during the struggle.
Cepeda and her family were reunited with the store's "mascot" two days later. She was told that a man walked into a Huntington Park pet store and sold them the iguana for $200. The owner of the store saw news coverage of the stolen iguana and called Paramount Pets to inform them he had Godzilla.
The owner of that pet store has asked that his name nor his pet shop be identified.
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Cepeda told NBC4 Wednesday that she intends to pursue charges against the man who was caught on camera stealing the iguana. The thief appears to have dark hair with a widow's peak hairline in the surveillance video.
She said that her family and members of the community have been stopping by the shop all day to see Godzilla in her outdoor habitat. However, Cepeda said she will "take precautions" to make sure she and her prized pet are never separated again.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Paramount sheriff’s station at 562-220-2002.
