Welcome Sammy Project part 2

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2,June,1998

This is an article written by Marie Eguro who is an iguana lover. She has a lovely female iguana named Sammy. Since she loves her so much, she had brought Sammy with her all the way to Japan because she had to work in Japan for a quite long period. As all the iguana lovers understand, there were no way she could work here without Sammy. Check the Welcome Sammy Project for the story when we brought her in. She had spend her happy time with her iguana Sammy in Japan for 6 months. Now she is going back to her home ground, LA. Here is the story.
(Photo left: Shot when Marie and Sammy came to visit us at YIL. Marie, Sammy, and Sammy's boyfriend Nano.)



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Sammy in Tokyo before leaving. She needs to shed her belly :(
Dessert of grapes.
Well, the day came sooner than we thought, but it was now time for Sammy and I to return to our home in the United States. This time we were better prepared for our travels and had gone through the process once before, so it was much easier. For our return, we only needed to get a CITES export permit, plus attach a copy of our original application to enter Japan. No import permit was needed to enter the United States.

fspcites Akira and Takako Yamanouchi from YIL helped with all of the paperwork, because these documents had to go through MITI in Japan and I was afraid that I may misunderstand the difficult Japanese.

fsp02ontheway
On the way to the Narita Airport. We went out very early in the morning to avoid the famous traffic jam in Tokyo.
The only problem we came across was the airline. Our flight was set for June 2nd, and all US airlines, including Delta, would not ship animals to warm places like Los Angeles from June through Sept. They did not want to be responsible for overheating the animal.

For a short time, I thought I would have to wait until October to fly back to the US with Sammy! But Akira saved us yet again, and found out that Japan Airlines would be able to ship Sammy on this day.

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Last kiss before we kiss in L.A.
fsp04case
Sammy waves goodbye to Japan.
(Cargo area at Narita)
Of course it was a very sad departure from Japan, as both Sammy and I had made many friends there. Most of all, we would miss the Yamanouchi's and our many visits to YIL, but we hoped someday they could visit us in Los Angeles once again.

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Our last dinner together for a while.(At Narita Airport)
June 2nd, 1998… Everything went very smoothly, and Sammy and I arrived safely in Los Angeles. We were greeted by my best friend Tracy, who took time off of her job just to pick up Sammy and I at the airport!

Now Sammy and I have continued our happy days together in the United States, and we are starting a new phase in our lives. We are so very grateful to the Yamanouchi's for the wonderful experience in Japan, and for the great friendship they have given us.

It seemed very unusual to have one pet iguana travel round trip internationally, as every step of the way, the people I dealt with (whether it be customs officials, airline workers, or Fish and Wildlife services), really seemed surprised when they realized by reviewing my paperwork that Sammy had traveled all the way to Tokyo and was now returning back to the US with me. I just looked at them and smiled, as it was impossible for me to explain to someone who has never bonded with an iguana, the magical power these amazing animals have.

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Arrived in sunny L.A.!
Picking up Sammy in cargo area of JAL. 		Sammy arrived safely.
Even though Sammy is "just a lizard" to the average person, I know it means a lot to her to be with me, as her eating habits and attitude change drastically when she is left in the care of someone else, even when she stays at our home that she knows so well. She would rather starve than eat when she knows I will gone for a while, and yet no matter what crazy places I take her to in the world, she is always sweet in nature and very content; she behaves and eats well as long as she can see my face in the morning and when I come home at night. The feeling is mutual, as I like to think of Sammy as my good luck charm; just by being there, she always helped me tackle any problems I had to deal with, and my life has changed greatly for the better since I adopted her more than four years ago. Sammy and I are so happy together, and we must stay together.

Iguanas should be treated as children family members, and when you move, you must take your child with you. The Yamanouchi's will always have a special place in our hearts for understanding this.

As so, now Sammy and I once again spend warm days together in sunny Southern California, ready to take on Los Angeles by storm. I am sure the future holds many more surprises and adventures for us, but for now, the farthest we plan on traveling is right to our own back yard! :)

fsp12welcome
Welcome home Sammy.
Very special thanks to:
Akira and Takako Yamanouchi
Tracy Gromko
David Blair
Christine McCallister
If you are interested in moving internationally with your iguana, please contact CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) at: 
    Office of Management Authority
    US Fish and Wildlife Service
    4401 N. Fairfax Dr. room 700 or 750
    Arlington, Virginia 22203

    Ph: 1-800-358-2104 office hours are 7:45 am - 4:15 pm,
    US Eastern Standard Time


Postscript:Akira Yamanouchi
She is now back in her happy life in sunny LA.
We miss her very much. We had spent great time with Marie and Sammy here at YIL.
Even it took about 1.5 hours from her apartment to YIL, Marie and Sammy kindly came to visit YIL many times for this 6 months. We had talked about iguanas all day long. These special gifts will remain in our memory forever.
You might not believe the relationship between Marie and Sammy, but I can say it is very special. I have never seen such a tame iguana like Sammy and I have never seen a girl who loves her iguana so much.
Goodluck and have a wonderful life in Los Angels, Marie. (With bunch of lizards!)