A 999 rescue for Woody, the iguana that branched out

A 999 rescue for Woody, the iguana that branched out

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 8:37 PM on 28th September 2008

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Cats are their stock in trade. But when firemen were summoned to rescue an iguana stuck up a tree, they responded with a due sense of gravity.

After a call from the RSPCA, alerted by members of the public, fire officers dispatched an animal rescue expert and an aerial platform to the scene at Cove, near Farnborough, Hampshire.

It wasn’t until their expert was 25ft up that they realised they were victims of an illusion of nature. The ‘iguana’ was no more than a broken algae-covered branch.

Stick insect: The offending branch which was mistaken for an iguana

Sticky business: The tree where concerned residents thought they saw an iguana moving around among the leaves

Colin Horwood, animal rescue advisor for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: 'The branch bore a striking resemblance to an iguana when seen from the ground.

'I have never seen anything like it.

'We take all animal rescues seriously but in this case it was a good intent false alarm.'

The sighting was more credible because the RSPCA had rescued another iguana in the same area the week before.

The real lizard: An actual iguana up a tree

RSPCA spokeswoman Jo Barr said: 'Members of the public reported seeing what they thought was an iguana moving several times.

'Because it was so high up we needed the fire service's help to get it.

'Another iguana had actually been rescued from same area the week before.'

The iguana is native to Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

There are two species - the Green Iguana, which is a popular pet, and the Lesser Antillean Iguana. An iguana can grow up to six feet long and live for ten years.