An iguana was detained by traffic police after a week on the run in a Polish village, where it had “struck fear into inhabitants”, according to local media. After initially resisting capture, the animal was eventually safely taken to a vet and then returned to its owner.
A resident of Brzezinka, a village in southern Poland near the city of Oświęcim, contacted police after her son, while playing in the garden, “noticed a large strange lizard basking on the roof of the gazebo”.
Traffic police nearby were dispatched to the scene and quickly confirmed the presence of the reptile (unlike in a similar case in the city of Kraków two years ago, when a reported iguana hiding in a tree turned out to be a croissant).
Mystery tree “creature” reported to animal services actually a croissant https://t.co/L5anRun64l
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) April 15, 2021
“One of the officers climbed a ladder to the roof of the gazebo and then threw a curtain lent by the owners of the property over the reptile,” said the police in a statement. “Despite resistance, the iguana was quickly caught and placed in a police car.”
The animal, described as being over one metre (3.3 feet) long, was then taken to a veterinary clinic in Oświęcim from where its owner came to collect it the same evening.
He had been searching for the escaped pet for almost a week. It had occasionally been spotted during that time – including by one scared local resident who told police they had seen a “dinosaur” – but always managed to evade capture.
The animal was eventually found 2km (1.2 miles) from its place of residence, a police spokeswoman told broadcaster TVN. It was in good health despite its experience, reports local news outlet Fakty Oświęcim, which added that the capture came as a relief to local residents, some of whom had been avoiding the streets for fear of the reptile.
A red panda escaped from a Polish zoo and climbed to the top of a nearby tree, requiring a rescue by the fire brigade.
One zookeeper has suggested that the male may have fled his enclosure to seek solitude from his female partner https://t.co/CPoqprSih3
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 20, 2023
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Policja Małopolska
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
