The owner of a beloved pet iguana named Godzilla is pleading for her return after a thief was caught on camera swiping the reptile from a Southern California pet shop.
The 3-foot-long tamed iguana was taken from her outdoor enclosure in front of the Paramount Pet Entertainment store on Monday, the owner said.
Surveillance footage shows the thief reach and grab hold of the lizard inside its railed outdoor habitat. Godzilla can be seen whipping her tail during the struggle before the man calmly walks away with the animal and places it inside a vehicle.
"All I want is my iguana back," pet store owner Holly Cepeda told NBC4.
Godzilla was a gift from the breeder that the store uses, Cepeda said.
She is not kept in a cage and is allowed to roam freely around the store. Godzilla typically walks out the front door to the garden area to bask in the sun around 11 a.m. The theft happened around 12:30 p.m., Cepeda said.
The lizard is known as the pet store’s mascot and loved by the community. Although described as usually docile, Cepeda is unsure of how Godzilla will react to somebody else handling her.
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The family pet maintains a special diet and without proper care the suspect "might just kill her."
"Please surrender her. All I care for is the iguana. I really want her back. She means so much to our family," Cepeda said.
The reptile thief caught on camera has dark hair and a widow’s peak hairline, officials said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Paramount sheriff’s station at 562-220-2002.
