A Journey from Iguana Rescue in NJ to Reunions in Uganda

In my last session of mentoring writers at the Woods Memorial Library in Tucson, I was reminded of how small and interconnected the world is. The stories that the advice-seeking author, Susan, brought to discuss were based on her family’s real-life experiences while they lived overseas.  The stories were unique and amusing, full of action and animals. The material has excellent potential for a publishable book.

One of the countries she had lived in with her daughters was Tanzania. We were discussing the dangers of going out at night. After all, the large predatory animals, like lions and leopards, were out hunting at night.  Going to the restroom could be a life-threatening event.

Unexpected Connections

I lived in New Jersey before being transferred to AZ in 2010. When I lived in Hunterdon County, I ran an iguana rescue. Because I would take in any iguana whose life was in danger, I was on the speed dial of many animal control and police departments in the quad-state area (NJ, PA, DE, and NY). At the end of each year, I had 26 iguanas in my house, most waiting for adoption.

During these iguana rescue days, I saw a notice about an iguana needing boarding for at least a year. The owner was traveling outside the country, where iguanas weren’t welcome. At the time, I was willing to take in long-term boarders, especially military members who were being deployed. I wanted to be the person who could provide a safe place for iguanas.

Peggy lived in Succasunna, NJ, near my High Bridge home. I love the name Succasunna. It rolls off the tongue. Succasunna comes from the Lenni-Lenape words suka (black) and assun (stone) for the “land of black stones.”

I contacted Peggy, and we arranged a meet-the-iguana date. When I arrived, Eddie, a green iguana (Iguana iguana), was soaking in her bathtub. With her permission, I picked him up and cuddled him, all five feet of him. I was in love. Peggy stood there with her mouth open. No one had ever just picked him up like that other than she. After some contemplation, she decided I could pet-sit Eddie. We signed a contract, and she paid for his board.

Eddie mostly roamed freely about my house.  After a while, he learned my schedule. I would find him waiting at the door when I came home from work. Peggy moved to Tanzania with her husband John, who was in charge of the program setting up micro-loans. Tanzania doesn’t allow the importation of exotic animals.  This is very sensible for a country with a large tourism industry based on their native animals.

Eddie settled in and was a great houseguest.  At one point, I went to Tanzania to visit Peggy and took an incredible tour of the country.

After two years, Peggy and John moved to Uganda to continue the micro-loam project. Eddie was allowed in Uganda, so he was shipped from NJ to Uganda. He happily shared the walled yard with the couple’s two dogs. Of course, I took the opportunity to visit another country and see my friend Eddie, the only iguana in Uganda! He made the news.

Eddie and I are reunited in Uganda.

Back to Susan and her life in Tanzania.  When I mentioned I had pet-sat Eddie, she said, I know her, I know his owner.! She first knew John in Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania, while he was waiting to hear if Peggy would join him. He was worried he would spend the next two years alone there. She was not going to move if Eddie wasn’t cared for.  She was going to stay with Eddie in NJ, if necessary.  I can understand her thinking because he was a remarkable lizard. I came along, and the couple was reunited. Susan and her daughters knew them quite well.  Peggy, an award-winning photographer, gave each girl one of her remarkable photos that Susan has displayed on her wall here in Tucson.

We had fun reminiscing about our mutual friends, and our meeting was remarkable in itself. We both knew a couple from NJ. I met Peggy in NJ, and she met John and Peggy in Tanzania. Then, several decades later, Susan and I met in a library in Tucson, AZ, as writers and discovered we both knew that if I wrote that in a story, no one would believe it.

Sadly, Peggy and Eddie have passed but are still alive in fantastic stories.

As I continue to explore and share stories about my adventures with reptiles, I look forward to connecting with more amazing individuals and their remarkable animals.