10-year-old Skyla just wants her pet lizard back.
A little girl in New Zealand had her pet blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua sp.) stolen when she was away at camp and is just so devastated and concerned for her pet that her mother is offering $500 for the safe return of the lizard, named Smog. Kim Powell, Skyla’s mother, advertised on a local Facebook page that they were looking for snails to feed the reptile and she thinks that the advertisement is what led the thief to their home.
"Someone has then come on our property and stolen him; you can see the cage on the deck from the road. [The Facebook post] reached a lot of people, and anyone just has to look at it and realise it's a really rare animal,” Powell told Stuff.co.nz.
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The family had recently lived in Vanuatu where Skyla kept green iguanas (Iguana iguana) in her bedroom. She continued her love for reptiles when they arrived in New Zealand.
"She would walk around with them on her body; she loved them, so when we saw that blue-tongued lizard [for sale] we knew we should get it for her," Powell told Stuff.co.nz.
Folks have stepped up with offers of money to get Skyla another blue-tongue, and The New Zealand Reptile [Herpetological] Society has offered to give Skyla a juvenile, but Skyla is just really concerned for the well-being of her pet, Powell said.
The family has since installed security cameras on their property and let all the pet shops and sales boards know that Smog is missing.
If you have any information on Smog, or the theft, email kimlouisejamieson1979@gmail.com.
