During a recent trailer inspection at U-Haul Moving and Storage of New Windsor, General Manager (GM) Thomas Keller found an unexpected stowaway.

Keller was doing a Level 1 inspection on an RV that had recently come in from Florida when he saw a small lizard scurry across the parking lot. While he was trying to catch it, the lizard ran back up into the RV.

Eventually, Keller was able to safely rescue the lizard from underneath the RV. However, he couldn’t just let it out in the wild because lizards like that one are not native in New York, and are only found in homes as pets.

“Thomas was afraid for the lizard with the impending snow we were expecting,” recalled Senior Clerk Debra Galt, UHC of Lower Hudson Valley. “I was off that day, but Thomas knew that I had other lizards so he called me to rescue the poor little guy.”

Galt has several other lizards that live in a 55-gallon tank set up in her kids’ bedroom. Fortunately for the stowaway lizard, Galt was already in the process of setting up a 25-gallon tank because she and her husband were looking to get a new lizard.

Before bringing the rescued lizard home, Galt stopped at a local PetSmart to have it checked out. The PetSmart employees believed it to be a wild anole, which are found in the southeastern part of the country, primarily in Florida, where the RV had come from.

Galt is happy to report that Sammy the lizard, named after U-Haul Company’s mascot Sammy U, is loving his new warm home.

“We think he was looking for a new adventure,” Galt observed. “I believe that Sammy was glad to be rescued and think he likes his new home. He seems to be adjusting well.”

Well done, Thomas and Debra, for rescuing the lizard and giving it a new home away from home!

Have you ever rescued a wild animal and adopted or found a new home for it? Share your story in the comments below!