BEAUMONT, Texas — A 3.5 foot lizard found on a Beaumont street last week has been reunited with his people and is back home in Beaumont today.
Last Wednesday night, a large Red Tegu lizard was found in the middle of a Beaumont street and it turns out he had escaped but hadn't gotten too far from home.
We now know his name is "Sylvio" and his owner, Sylvia Cooper, 31, of Beaumont, tells 12News he often hides for day in his favorite spot and can be a bit of an escape artist.
Cooper first noticed she hadn't seen him on Wednesday, Nov. 17, and began looking around her home for him.
There's a little space in a closet that he loves to crawl into and when he curls up there she can't just pull him out.
"I have to wait for him to come out," she tells 12News adding she though he might have been holed up there.
The street that "Sylvio", who is almost 4-years-old, was found on is practically in her backyard she says.
She and her family had to spend the weekend in Houston but she started looking for him again Sunday night. By Monday morning she found him, not in his favorite spot, but on Facebook.
When Cooper got on Facebook, a 12News story popped up on her feed about him being fostered by a reptile dealer in Mauriceville.
She immediately reached out to Davied Shay, who was caring for "Sylvio," around 8 a.m. to arranged his return home.
Cooper has three children, ages 10 months, 4, 8 and 10-years-old and they were all missing their reptilian family member she tells 12News.
By 10:45 a.m. Monday morning "Sylvio" was back home where he belonged.
Cooper is very happy and grateful that "Sylvio" was found and returned to her.
She says Shay "took great care of my baby."
After learning the Red Tegu's name Monday morning, Shay says he called it out and "Sylvio" turned his head right to him.
"Sylvio" was picked up last Wednesday night by a Beaumont man and his cousin, who almost ran him over. The man contacted Beaumont Animal Care and they made a post about the found reptile.
Davied Shay, of Mauriceville, who deals in exotic pets, reached out to the man and offered to take the lizard in and foster it and care for him until his owner could be found.
Shay, who deals in reptiles, owns two female Red Tegus of his own and both he and Cooper tell 12News they make excellent pets.
Cooper, a fourth grade teacher at Caldwood Elementary, has been a reptile lover since she was a little girl, she says.
Growing up in Houston she got her first one at 6-years-old. Her pet iguana, "Iggy," was about as long as she was tall at the time.
Since then she's had several different reptiles as pets including a tortoise.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.