In October, our center made history. Patient 26-2859 came in after being found in a grocery store hiding on some grapes. After being brought to a local vet, Benjamin, a staff member at the vet, rushed into action, knowing the animal was wild and winter was approaching. Usually, we cannot release reptiles if we don't know where they were found or if it is after September 30th. Based on the picture, we assumed it was an Eastern Fence Lizard, and we were correct. Eastern fence lizards are rough-scaled lizards in Pennsylvania, usually located in the southern parts.
The lizard we received was in good, healthy condition. Still, because it could escape over the winter (the last day of September passed for release) and its original location was unknown, we needed to figure out what to do.
We reached out to Fish and Boat and learned they are common along the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County. If temperatures stayed warm enough, we could return him to his appropriate habitat.
This little guy is set to be released on November 2nd, with the weather forecast looking good! It was an amazing first patient of this species, and the team loved seeing this guy crawl around! Thank you, Benjamin, for caring and getting this guy to us!
