Owner Comes To Fetch 5-Foot-Long Lizard In Riverside

RIVERSIDE (CBS) — It's not like a 5-foot-long lizard could hide for long.

After the media spotlight turned on Elmer the monitor lizard, Elmer's owner called to lay claim to the large lizard. Spokesman John Welsh says a Riverside County Animal Services sergeant inspected Elmer's owner's residence, to make sure the home was sufficient for Elmer.

The Department of Animal Services' in-house reptile expert, Kim McWhorter, found the home to be satisfactory, but recommended a larger tank for Elmer.

Elmer was found Tuesday, wandering around a condo complex in Riverside and had to be transported in a compartment usually reserved for large dogs.

The owner told animal control officials that Elmer had been missing since Sunday. The lizard vanished while Elmer's tank was in the process of being cleaned and the owner's brother accidentally left the front door open.

Elmer is a carnivore, but officials say there have been no reports of missing pets from the area.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)