TOOELE, Utah – Two rare iguanas were stolen from their cages at Rockstar Pets on 215 North Main Street in Tooele, and police say it happened between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
Jen Walters is the manager of Rockstar and describes what she saw when she got to work that morning.
“One of the locks was on the floor, and the other one was just hanging,” she said.
The female iguana has the albino gene, and the male iguana is a bright yellow, Crutchfield albino. The store’s owner bought them two years ago from Florida.
“He's the only one in Utah that color, that Crutchfield gene, and probably the only one within the states surrounding Utah,” Walters said.
The male is worth about $2,000 and the female, $400.
Their babies are worth an estimated $3,000.
There are hundreds of various animals at Rockstar Pets, but police said the thieves specifically targeted the iguanas.
“We obviously want to make sure that we treat it for the case that it is, which is burglary and theft, and get as much information as we can so we can do justice for the victim,” said Officer Tanya Turnbow with the Tooele City Police Department.
There are surveillance cameras mounted throughout the store, but they were turned off.
“We weren't able to pull anything off of them,” Walters said.
So with nothing from cameras, perhaps the store’s mascot, Roadblock, may have seen the thieves in action.
The desert tortoise patrols the store morning and night.
“We're actually thinking about putting a GoPro on Roadblock. He saw everything,” joked Walters.
The store is offering a $500 reward for any information that can help in the case. If you have any tips, call Tooele City Police at 435 882 5600.
