An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner

Most of us expect to find an occasional mouse in the house, but an iguana on a garbage truck? That's certainly bizarre! Yet, that's exactly the type of unusual discovery made in this entertaining animal story, Finding the surprise hitchhiker was easy enough. But figuring out what to do next was a little more complicated!

When Rick Boatwright with the Chattanooga, Tennessee Fire Department received a call from one of the city’s Department of Public Works supervisors, his day took an unusual turn. The caller stated that a garbage truck driver had become frantic after noticing a hitchhiker hanging onto her truck during her daily route. That hitchhiker was a fearsome and sizable iguana!

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The loosed reptile looked like a mini “dinosaur” with scales, spikes, and a long, slithering tail. However, its orange color blended with the yellow paint of the trash truck, and the poor guy could have been easily missed. Fortunately, the driver did spot him and call for help, and that’s just what she received when she pulled up to the local fire station!

Chattanooga’s first responders gloved up and got Mr. Iguana down from the vehicle!

The animal had been clinging to the truck and was very cooperative as firefighters rescued him;  his “docile” nature led them to believe that he was probably someone’s pet.

Members of the Chattanooga Fire Department delivered the lizard to McKamey Animal Center, and the shelter quickly shared the story on Facebook. Hoping to find the iguana's owner, McKamey posted, “We totally get wanting to go on adventure around town to see the beautiful city that Chattanooga is, but we’d love to get him back home even more.” 

Offers to adopt the handsome, but lonesome iguana flooded Facebook!

McKamey chose to wait a bit in the hopes that the iguana’s owner would see the post and come forward. As they waited, they provided special care to the animal. He’d sustained wounds to his face, and his eyes were swollen closed. In addition, part of his tail was dying.

After providing critical care and serving up dark leafy green “smoothies,” McKamey decided it was time to find a home for the recovering reptile. Without an identified owner, a long-time volunteer and McKamey foster with a love for reptiles became the iguana’s new owner. 

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He has since been named Maximus, and his owner shared, “his eyes are now open and you can tell he’s feeling so much better!”

“And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.’ And it was so.” Genesis 1:30

WATCH: An Iguana on a Garbage Truck Hitched a Ride 

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h/t: McKamey Animal Center

Photo Credit: YouTube/Inside Edition

Hally is a freelance writer, blogger, and mental health advocate. A former school counselor, Hally works for a nonprofit that distributes tax dollars to mental health and prevention education providers that serve her county's kids and families. She's a contributor to a devotional and two essay collectives, and she shares resources and wisdom regarding parenting teens, mental health, faith, adoption, and more at https://www.hallyjwells.com where she strives to "Dig Deep and Reach High." She and her husband have three adult children and one rascally beagle pup. Hally loves travel, her book club sisters, personality tests, and a great glass of iced tea.